Gordon Elliott: 'Owners stood by me - and I'd love to repay them at Cheltenham'
David Jennings returns to Cullentra House a year on from the darkest of days
It had gone 11pm and ticked past the two-hour mark at your conventional Cheltenham preview night in Navan. There were certainties, absolute certainties and moral certainties. There were horses who wouldn't win on Thursday if they started on Tuesday, no-hopers, and complete and utter no-hopers.
Anyway, it was time for Gordon Elliott, doing his second preview of the evening, to choose his charity bet – 50 quid courtesy of Paddy Power. This, speaking from experience, is usually the first horse who comes into a trainer's head. Name. Race. Job done. Home.
"My bet costs €120 and I'll put in the extra €70 myself. I'm going to do a €1 Super Heinz."
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Published on inInterviews
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Copy- 'You can see why people end up struggling - when you're trying to pay the electric bill, losing one ride can be massive'
- 'I've never paid six figures for a horse and never will - I learned pretty quickly you're only one phone call away from f*** all'
- 'I’ve trained some fabulous horses, worked with some excellent riders - maybe I have brought a little bit of talent to the table as well'
- ‘When you’re in the moment and you’re starved, you’re ready to explode - everything built up and I just lost my s**t’
- 'He must have his breakfast earlier than Willie does' - Patrick Mullins goes behind enemy lines at Gordon Elliott's yard
- 'You can see why people end up struggling - when you're trying to pay the electric bill, losing one ride can be massive'
- 'I've never paid six figures for a horse and never will - I learned pretty quickly you're only one phone call away from f*** all'
- 'I’ve trained some fabulous horses, worked with some excellent riders - maybe I have brought a little bit of talent to the table as well'
- ‘When you’re in the moment and you’re starved, you’re ready to explode - everything built up and I just lost my s**t’
- 'He must have his breakfast earlier than Willie does' - Patrick Mullins goes behind enemy lines at Gordon Elliott's yard