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Elliott Planning Triple Pronged Fairyhouse Raid
21/04/11

Gordon Elliott, who saddled two winners at this year’s Aintree Festival but missed out on reaching the podium in the John Smith’s Grand National itself, will be hoping for better luck later in the month when he may saddle as many as three runners in the prestigious Ladbrokes Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse on Bank Holiday Monday, April 25, writes Elliot Slater.

Chicago Grey
© Racehorse Photos

Chicago Grey

Elliott’s Backstage ran a solid race at Aintree to finish 10th of the 40 runners behind the brave Ballabriggs, in the end doing well to finish as close as he did having made a desperate blunder at the ninth of the 30 fences. Racing tipsters have reported to have come out of the race in very good shape, Backstage is set to carry 10st 9lbs in the three-mile-five-furlong Irish marathon.

Elliott’s best chance however may rest with his recent Cheltenham Festival winner Chicago Grey, tough as teak in running on bravely at the end of the four-mile National Hunt Chase to beat Beshabar, and looking to be fairly handicapped off 11st 4lbs. His participation will rest on his recovery from Saturday in the Scottish Grand National for which he was 5/1 ante-post favourite in top racing tips for today. With only nine days between the two ‘Nationals’ there has to be some doubt though as to whether Chicago Grey would be at his best running in two such gruelling races in such a short space of time.

Bookmakers have made Elliott’s third potential Irish National candidate Beautiful Sound the 7/1 ante-post favourite for the Fairyhouse contest, despite the fact that there is a great deal of concern that the nine-year-old will not make the cut. He is currently number 64 on the list of entries for a race in which there will be a maximum of 25 runners, so it is probably asking just a little too much to expect 39 horses above him to be scratched from the race in order to guarantee a run.

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