Elliott expects Romeo Coolio clues at Leopardstown
GRAND AMBITIONS: Trainer Gordon Elliott has high hopes for Romeo Coolio over fences. Picture: Niall Carson/PA
Gordon Elliott expects to have a clearer idea of what path Romeo Coolio will take for the rest of the season after he drops back in trip for the Racing Post Novice Chase at Leopardstown.
The six-year-old proved effective over the two-mile distance over hurdles last season, striking Grade One gold at Leopardstown's Dublin Racing Festival before being placed in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham and at Aintree.
Each of his two starts over fences to date have come at two and a half miles, with an impressive chasing debut at Down Royal followed by a brilliant victory in the Drinmore Novice Chase, and he will be a short price to complete the hat-trick in the feature event on day one of Leopardstown's Christmas festival.
"We're coming back in trip, but I don't think it will bother him," said Elliott.
"He's an exciting horse, we always thought he was going to be a chaser when we bought him, that's what he was bought to be. The way he jumped hurdles he always jumped them like he wanted a fence.
"It's going to be stiffer competition coming back to two miles and I suppose we'll find out where we are going for the rest of the season by running him over two miles, because if it's not going to work then we know we can go to Plan B.
"We can go to Cheltenham over three miles or go to Fairyhouse over two and a half and you've Aintree and Punchestown as well. We're going to learn an awful lot about him at Leopardstown and I'm really looking forward to it."
The Willie Mullins-trained Salvator Mundi was seven lengths too good for Romeo Coolio at Aintree in the spring and takes him on again having suffered a shock defeat on his chasing bow at Thurles.
The champion trainer also saddles the vastly more experienced Westport Cove, who has won three times from nine chase starts, while July Flower won her fencing debut at Limerick before landing an Arkle Trial at Cheltenham last month for Henry de Bromhead.
"She was electric in Limerick and we were delighted with her. I wasn't sure if I was doing the right thing going over fences, but her owner agreed," said De Bromhead.
"I thought she was brilliant at Cheltenham as well, she jumped really well and for not an overly big mare she's got loads of scope and seems to love it.
"We were sort of going two and a half to three miles over hurdles with her last year and now we've gone two and a half back to two.
"She stays well and she jumps great, so we're looking forward to it."
