Gordon Elliott stablemates go head to head in rescheduled Grade 2

Tuesday: 1.05 Naas
Tote Navan Novice Hurdle (Grade 2) | 2m4f | 4yo+ | RTV

Gordon Elliott has enjoyed plenty of recent success in this race with No More Heroes (2014), Death Duty (2016) and Ginto (2021), and he is well represented in a bid for back-to-back wins.

Elliott has three of the seven runners in the rescheduled Grade 2, with Absolute Notions and Three Card Brag prominent in the market, and Deeply Superficial also holding a serious chance.

The unbeaten Absolute Notions, a €370,000 purchase, takes his first step into Graded company, having been impressive in winning a bumper and a maiden hurdle over 2m3½f at Punchestown.

Stamina looked his strength that day and the four-year-old is currently a best-priced 25-1 for the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, so the extra half a furlong can only help.

The biggest danger to Absolute Notions looks to be stablemate Three Card Brag, who tackles a trip further than 2m½f for the first time.

The five-year-old is the current ante-post favourite for the Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle at 12-1 with Paddy Power, and will be ridden by Adrian Heskin.

His convincing hurdling debut victory over Sandor Clegane at Galway was firmly franked by the runner-up, who landed a maiden hurdle at Punchestown by 14 lengths on his next start.

Three Card Brag is the only runner in the line up to have been tried in Graded company and is another who will appreciate the extra distance, having stayed on well for third in a Grade 3 2m novice hurdle at Navan behind Hercule Du Seuil and Imagine.

Deeply Superficial won well on her debut over 2m at Galway and is another who arrives with a big price tag (£385,000), and she is a best-priced 10-1 for the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham.

Another intriguing prospect is the JP McManus-owned Inthepocket from Henry de Bromhead’s yard. He changed hands for £290,000 12 months ago following a Moig South point-to-point win and has since scored by six lengths on his hurdling debut at Wexford in October.

The field is likely to shorten from seven to six with the Stuart Crawford-trained Carnfunnock having run in the Jim Ryan Rated Novice Hurdle at Punchestown on Monday.

The line-up is completed by Captains Nephew, who is trained by Philip Rothwell, and the Shark Hanlon-trained Lakefield Flyer, both of whom are yet to win.

What they say

Gordon Elliott, trainer of Absolute Notions, Three Card Brag and Deeply Superficial
Absolute Notions hadn’t done a lot before he ran in the Land Rover Bumper but he’d worked okay, so that’s why we ran him. He wasn’t our first string but he was very good. I loved the way he hit the line there and again over hurdles at Punchestown. He’s a good horse and the slight step up in trip should suit him. Three Card Brag ran a big race at Navan, staying on strongly up the run-in, and his form is working out well. Deeply Superficial is getting the mares’ allowance. She’s in good form and has looked good.

Henry de Bromhead, trainer of Inthepocket
We're happy with him and he’s been in good form.

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