Gordon Elliott talks up Death Duty's Irish National credentials
NATIONAL TREASURES: Irish Grand National-winning jockeys Robbie Power, Barry Geraghty, Katie Walsh, and Andrew McNamara were at Gordon Elliott’s yard on Tuesday where they put 2022 Cullentra House hopefuls Floueur, Death Duty, Aramax, and Smoking Gun through their paces ahead of the Fairyhouse Easter Monday feature. Picture: Inpho/Morgan Treac
While he suggests that predicting how the landscape unfolds on the day is akin to looking into a crystal ball, Gordon Elliott believes that Death Duty could be the one to provide him with a second Boylesports Irish Grand National.
The €500,000 pot has attracted an entry list of 95 and four former winning riders of the Fairyhouse Easter Monday feature — Barry Geraghty, Katie Walsh, Robbie Power, and Andy McNamara — were in Cullentra House on Tuesday to put a quartet of Elliott’s 23 entrants through their paces on the gallops.
Geraghty got the leg up on Death Duty, with Walsh steering Aramax, Power on Floueur, and McNamara on Smoking Gun. And with Galvin likely to be aimed at the Punchestown Gold Cup and Mount Ida, Escaria Ten, and Farclas bound for Aintree, it is Death Duty who Elliott gave the most positive update about ahead of the richest jumps race in the country, which takes place on April 18.
A Grade One winner as a novice hurdler and novice chaser, Death Duty was off the track for two years after suffering an injury to a hind joint.
Elliott treated the Gigginstown House Stud-owned son of Shantou with kid gloves as he gradually eased him back and his fifth-place finish in the Paddy Power Chase after another lay-off of more than a year indicated that he was finally on the right track.
After coming home in seventh in the Thyestes Chase subsequently, the now 11-year-old secured his first win since the Drinmore Chase at Fairyhouse in December 2017 when claiming the Grand National Trial at Punchestown in February over three and a half miles.
He was a staying-on sixth over three furlongs less in the Ultima Handicap under Jack Kennedy and Elliott likes what he’s seeing. While he is unlikely to get away with carrying the 10st 3lbs he has currently been allotted, he is sure to relish the stamina test.
“Death Duty could be the one,” said Elliott. “He ran well in Cheltenham. I know he finished sixth but he ran well, wasn’t beaten far. It could suit him. If Death Duty got in there off the bottom, he could be interesting.
“He came out of the race very well. Jack said, just coming down the hill he just lacked a gear and they got away from him but he came home strong. He’s after putting in a few good runs together now so we’re happy with him.”
Run Wild Fred, Fury Road, and Frontal Assault are other possible Elliott representatives but there is a lot to be considered yet.
“It’s an open race. It’s kind of like looking into a crystal ball at the moment really, isn’t it? It’s hard to know, the weights could go up a good bit. We’ll run five or six and it’s not fully decided yet. Will Kemboy run? Franco De Port (currently with 11-3) could go off top weight. So we’ll have to see.
“Floueur is another horse I would think has a chance. He can be a bit novicey jumping but he ticks a lot of the boxes for a race like that and won his beginners' chase at Fairyhouse (where he beat Frontal Assault by a half-length).
“Fakir D’alene ran very well in the Kim Muir. He was only beaten four lengths. That’s often a race horses come back from and run well.
“We won it once before and it would be great to win it again.”
General Principle was that previous victor in 2018, when JJ Slevin got the Gold Well gelding up by a head in one of the most dramatic finishes of the race, where five came to the last in contention and were separated at the line by a total of one and three-quarter lengths.
Bellshill hampered another Elliott charge, Folsom Blue, who like General Principle was owned by Gigginstown, and was probably the unluckiest horse in the field.
“I thought he’d have won that year but that’s the way it goes. It was a funny race. You’d like to win it again.”
As a Meath man and despite not being reared around horses, Elliott recalls the impact the Irish Grand National had on the locality.
“Probably since I’m 12 or 13 I’m going to the Irish Grand National. The first one I remember is Maid Of Money winning (in 1989). I wasn’t there at the time, but there used to be a funfair at Summerhill at Easter. (Maid Of Money’s trainer) John Fowler trained at Summerhill.
“I hadn’t much interest in horses at the time but I remember all the hype and thinking: ‘This is a massive deal, a local horse after winning a Grand National.’”
