Elliott: they put a lot of faith in me and I wouldn't be where I am without them

No individual will be more impacted by Michael O'Leary's shock decision to wind down his Gigginstown operation than Gordon Elliott, but the triple Grand National-winning handler was philosophical about the bombshell news on Tuesday.

Elliott, who masterminded Tiger Roll's back-to-back Aintree successes and also saddled Don Cossack to land the 2016 Cheltenham Gold Cup in the Gigginstown colours, was keen to stress what the champion owner's support has done for his career.

The County Meath handler had 107 horses run under the Gigginstown banner throughout last season.

"Firstly, I just want to thank Michael and Eddie for their support," Elliott said of the O'Leary brothers.

"They’ve been brilliant to me and a massive part of my career since I started training. I wouldn’t be where I am now if it wasn't for them. We have had some great days together and I hope that we will have many more over the next few years.

"I started training for Gigginstown in 2008 and I didn’t have any horses. They put a lot of faith in me since Tharawaat became our first winner at Navan in 2008, and it has worked out brilliantly."

The Gigginstown battalion would represent a significant proportion of Elliott's string. However, unlike when they split with Willie Mullins in 2016, he will not lose them overnight, so Tiger Roll and other star performers like Apple's Jade and Delta Work will remain with him.

"I hope that over the coming seasons the likes of Delta Work, Samcro and Apple’s Jade will continue to do us proud at the top level," Elliott said.

Of their highlights together, he added: "Don Cossack’s Gold Cup win is an obvious highlight, as were Tiger Roll’s two Grand National triumphs, and I firmly believe that we will have some more great days in the future.

"To date we have had 479 winners in the Gigginstown colours and I look forward to having many more over the next number of years."

Elliott has built his Cullentra yard into one of the biggest of its type. Losing O'Leary's patronage will be a desperate blow, but he refused to view the development in a negative light.

"There are a lot of owners out there who are big supporters of the yard and it will leave an opening for owners to come to the yard," he said.

Paddy Power specials

In which year will Gigginstown own their last Cheltenham Festival winner?

5-4 in 2024 or later
2-1 in 2022
9-4 in 2023
8-1 in 2021
12-1 in 2020
33-1 No more Cheltenham Festival winners

In which year will Gigginstown own their last Irish-trained winner?

2-9 in 2024 or later
3-1 in 2023
8-1 in 2022
16-1 in 2021
33-1 in 2020
100-1 in 2019

"It’s a big hit but it’s not happening overnight. We’ll have the horses for the next couple of years and you have to look at the positives.

"Michael is a businessman and has to make decisions, but he has been very good to me throughout. His kids are at an age that he wants to spend more time with them and you can understand that. He has been brilliant for the game. The money he has invested in it is second to none."

Noel Meade, who sent out 41 individual Gigginstown runners last term, likewise spoke similarly glowingly of O'Leary, for whom the 2015 Gold Cup third Road To Riches and last year's Gold Cup fourth Road To Respect would have been his most prolific performers.

"It’s a big blow," he admitted. "At the same time, the man has done an awful lot of good for Irish racing and ploughed a lot of money into it. He's a super man to train for – win or lose he takes it on the chin.

"But he has not gone away and they have been very fair about the process. The horses are being left with the people that have them – they are just not buying any more at the moment. He's winding down from there, but apart from the usual cull in the autumn, he isn’t getting rid of the horses we have until they are finished."

Davy Russell, who has steered Tiger Roll to victory in each of the last two Grand Nationals, was also keen to focus on the future rather than the past.

"I've had a lot of marvellous days riding for Gigginstown, some brilliant days and many big race wins," he said. "Hopefully, there will be more to come."

Get ahead of the game with Get Your Eye in - exclusive Saturday preview content on racingpost.com and the Racing Post mobile app from 2pm on Friday