Gordon Elliott keeping the faith as crack hurdler Samcro makes chasing debut

2.55 Down Royal
Advanced NI Scaffolding Beginners Chase | 2m3½f | 4yo+ | RTV

It is a year later than many wanted but Samcro finally gets to compete over fences.

The brilliant 2018 Ballymore Novices' Hurdle winner, who went through his debut hurdling campaign like the next big thing in Irish racing, was antepost favourite for the 2019 Champion Hurdle this time last year.

A defeat to Bedrock in the WKD Hurdle on this card 12 months ago, however, set the tone for a subdued season in which he failed to win a single race.

Samcro did not appear again after finishing fifth of six in the Ryanair Hurdle at Leopardstown last Christmas and begins his chasing career a very fresh horse. Gordon Elliott thinks he has him in a good place for the commencement of his new career.

Samcro: starts his chasing career at Down Royal on Friday afternoonCredit: Edward Whitaker

Elliott, who has won this race for the last three years, including with last year's RSA Chase third Delta Work, said: "Samcro has been schooling well. Keith [Donoghue] has been doing all his schooling and it has gone really well. He is Jack's [Kennedy] ride but he is injured so Keith takes over."

"We couldn't get him right all last season – he kept scoping wrong. It might have been a blessing in disguise that we didn't go chasing with him with the way the ground was. We gave him a wind operation and he's come back in much stronger and he's schooling well.

"I haven't given up on him. People seem to forget that Don Cossack had a bad year before coming back and winning a Gold Cup. It can happen, they're not machines. Don Cossack came back and hopefully Samcro can come back as well."

Dortmund Park, the mount of Mark Enright, also represents Elliott and the trainer said: "He’s had three wind operations in his career already. He's a Grade 1 winner and he'll be a lovely recruit to chasing if his wind stands up, but he's a hard horse to keep right."

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