Cheltenham Festival News: Gordon Elliott favouring Gold Cup over Ryanair for Conflated
Trainer Gordon Elliott
Gordon Elliott and owner Michael O'Leary will have a good natured battle of wills to decide whether Conflated will run in the Ryanair Chase or the Cheltenham Gold Cup at the Festival 2022.
Gordon Elliott could twist Michael O'Leary's arm to run Conflated in the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup rather than the Ryanair Chase.
O'Leary has said he expected the surprise Irish Gold Cup winner to drop back in trip at the Cheltenham Festival, in preference to competing with stablemate Galvin in the big one.
Yet conversely, trainer Elliott is wary of the Willie Mullins trained Allaho in the Ryanair and is leaning towards Conflated going for an open looking Gold Cup.
The Irishman said: "(I'd go for) the Gold Cup. Michael wants to go for the Ryanair, I want to go for the Gold Cup so we'll probably have an argument for five minutes and normally he gets his way, but I hope I get mine.
"There's only one Gold Cup. If you win the Ryanair, that's grand, but the Gold Cup is the Gold Cup.
"I just think the way the Ryanair will be run, with the likes of Allaho in there, if he does make a mistake or miss a fence, he might not get back into the race. The Gold Cup, they might not go as quick early.
"It is a bit of a worry about the stamina, but it is a Gold Cup and there's a worry about the stamina of a lot of horses."
Conflated is a general 12-1 shot for the Gold Cup, with Galvin 4-1 second-favourite behind A Plus Tard for the Festival showpiece.
Galvin has won two of his three starts this term, landing a Punchestown Grade 3, before chasing home Frodon in the Champion Chase at Down Royal in late October.
He said: "Galvin has done nothing wrong all year. I think there's maybe a question you could ask of every horse in the race.
"With Galvin you could maybe say he lacks a gear, but his work since Leopardstown has been very good. He's been working with a few quicker horses and working well - we're very happy with him.
"We know he stays, he's won round Cheltenham, he relaxes, he jumps. If he's within firing distance at the second-last, you know he will come home strong."
"He was hot today" - Trainer Gordon Elliott salutes Conflated after his victory in the Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup at the #DublinRacingFestival - next step it would seem is a tilt at the Cheltenham Gold Cup on 18 March @LeopardstownRC #rteracing pic.twitter.com/5eJPrJ4BZR
— RTÉ Racing (@RTEracing) February 5, 2022
