Gordon Elliott taking no prisoners in Punchestown’s Grand National Trial
• Elliot to run six horses in the race at Punchestown this Sunday
One of Ireland’s premier races of the season takes place at Punchestown this weekend with the Grand National Trial.
The Aintree showpiece on the other side of the Irish Sea is just a few weeks away in April and plenty of Irish trainers will be finalising their plans for one of the most prestigious prizes in the sport.
Irish trainer Gordon Elliott is one such handler, having won the race back-to-back with Tiger Roll in 2018 and 2019, and Elliott has a total of six runners in the 21-strong race, three of which are well-fancied to win all with single-figure prices, according to the experts at GrandNational.org.uk.
The stable’s first string, Lucky Lyreen, looks the most likely to win, ridden by stable jockey Jack Kennedy and having won his latest start at Down Royal.
Gigginstown’s Patter Merchant is the next most likely to win, according to the betting markets, wearing first-time cheekpieces and with a five-pound claiming rider on board.
Also in first-time headgear is Binge Worthy, ridden by Danny Gilligan after a close third when last seen at Navan. Elliott also runs the Gigginstown-owned Prends Garde A Toi and Fortunedefortunata.
Of his six runners, Patter Merchant could have the strongest chance on the testing ground at Punchestown this weekend, given his proven ability on officially heavy ground at other tracks this season.
Closing in on 175 winners for the season so far across Britain and Ireland, Elliott’s yard is in strong form and the team could be in with a good chance of keeping to their current running strike rate of 21%.
The Grand National Trial will take place at 2.30pm on Sunday, and can be watched live on Racing TV, where you can also find Cheltenham betting offers.
