Gordon Elliott

Mícheál O'Brien of Creighmore Stables was in a daze after topping Tuesday's opening session of the Goffs Arkle Sale with a Goliath Du Berlais gelding out of a Muhtathir half-sister to the Grade 3-winning hurdler Raffles Sainte (Saint Des Saints). Offered as lot 201, he was knocked down to Gordon Elliott for €275,000. "It's a serious result for my farm in east Cork. It's not a big place and to turn that sort of money is a big help," said the consignor, who had pinhooked the top lot for €40,000....

CHELTENHAM, UK -- On a day of high winds and even higher stakes at Cheltenham, it was Heart Wood (Choeur Du Nord) who best withstood the challenge to run out a wide-margin winner of the Ryanair Chase, Thursday's Grade 1 feature which lost much of its lustre when defending champion Fact To File (Poliglote) was withdrawn at the eleventh hour. Beaten nine lengths behind Fact To File when filling the runner-up spot 12 months ago, Heart Wood took full advantage of that rival's absence to make a deserved breakthrough at...

Charismatic Kid (lot 28) headlined Friday's Tattersalls Cheltenham December Sale when bought by trainer Gordon Elliott for £300,000. Consigned by Colm Ryan Racing, the son of Affinisea was an impressive winner of a Navan bumper last week. "He looks a nice horse," said Elliott after outbidding Tessa Greatrex for the gelding. "We were at the races when he won and he won well. Colm has done a great job with him, so fair play to him. The horse won't jump a hurdle this season. We will see if he is...

Willie Mullins, Gavin Cromwell, Henry de Bromhead, Gordon Elliott and Ger Lyons' Glenburnie Racing are among the team captains confirmed for the Treo Eile Christmas Show on Thursday, December 11 at Emerald Equestrian Centre near Enfield. Also stepping up to the plate for the HRI Treo Eile Thoroughbred Classic team event are a number of past or present jockeys, including Paul Townend, Jack Kennedy, Patrick Mullins, Jody Townend, Mark Walsh, Colin Keane, Nicola Burns, Robbie Power and Kevin Manning. The HRI Treo Eile Thoroughbred Classic, the feature class on the...

Over 40 lots have been catalogued for the ThoroughBid October Sale. Bidding gets underway at 9 a.m. on Friday, October 24. One of the most notable consignments is from Gordon Elliott, who will send the 132-rated chaser Mars Harper (Sulamani) (lot 34) through the ring. He will be sold with an entry into Aintree's Grand Sefton over National fences on November 8. Elliott also has Tullybeg (Sholokhov) (lot 18) set to sell. Also rated 132, he is joined by a mix of experienced winners and young prospects, including Eternal Echo...

Just over a month after being granted his trainer's licence, Colm Ryan lit up the Leopardstown Christmas festival when the not unfancied Karate Kid (Ire) (Spanish Moon) ran out a most impressive winner of the 2m4f bumper--a race that has been won by subsequent Grade 1 horses Carefully Selected (Ire), Appreciate It (Ire) and Fact To File (Ire) in recent times.  This was the first time in six years where the powerful yards of Willie Mullins or Gordon Elliott weren't responsible for the winner of the race and Karate Kid...

Kovanis (Fr) (Tunis {Pol}), one of 10 lots to bring £100,000 or more during Friday's Tattersalls Cheltenham November Sale, topped proceedings at £330,000 to Gordon Elliott Racing. Consigned by Gerald Quinn's Caherty Stables, lot 8 won on debut in a Portrush point-to-point and is from the same family as Friday's G2 Cheltenham Schloer Chase hero Jonbon (Fr) (Walk In The Park {Ire}) and Grade 3 hurdle winner Discover D'Auteuil (Fr) (Mistigri {GB}). "He is a nice horse, he has come well recommended and he travelled in his race like a...

If you really do reap what you sow, then Gavin Cromwell is set for a bumper harvest. A cool €1 million has been injected into the trainer's County Meath stable in the past year alone and the green shoots have already been sighted with the runners who were readied on the trainer's new five-furlong hill gallop burning up the track of late. Important winners they were, too. Diego Ventura (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) has been snapped up by Wathnan Racing after scoring on debut at Naas while Gowran Park winner An...

A 3-year-old store by Doctor Dino (Fr) rounded out Day 2 of the Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale when going to Gordon Elliott Racing for €350,000. The gelding is the highest-priced Store horse sold in 2024 and the joint-second highest-priced store horse ever sold at public auction. Consigned by Sluggara Farm, Lot 283 is out of 17-year-old Matnie (Fr) (Laveron {GB}), who has produced five winners, all of whom are Grade 1 or Grade 2 scorers to date. "Once again, the Derby Sale has proven why it is held in the...

The Ballyboy Stables-consigned Swing Davis (Fr) (No Risk At All {Fr}) (lot 5) took top billing at Thursday's Goffs Punchestown Sale when selling to Mags O'Toole on behalf of Robcour for €320,000. The four-year-old was successful on the second of her two starts in points-to-points, having failed to complete on her first attempt, running out a commanding winner at Loughanmore last week. From the family of the top-class chaser Klairon Davis (Fr) (Rose Laurel {Ire}), Swing Davis is set to go into training with Gordon Elliott. That proved to be...

The Tattersalls Cheltenham Festival Sale, which takes place after racing at Prestbury Park on Thursday, has the highest profile among the expanding market of boutique jumping sales and takes a break from the norm by offering a mare entered to run at the Festival on Friday. Traditionally, the auction has offered winning point-to-pointers and bumper horses with the potential to be stars of the future, as Grade 1-winning graduates such as Bravemansgame (Fr), Gerri Colombe (Fr), Santini (GB) and Slate House (Ire) have demonstrated. However, there could be a much...

Legendary jumps jockey Davy Russell says he hasn't thought about emulating Nina Carberry's achievements in flying the flag for racing by winning Ireland's version of Dancing With The Stars and revealed that riding in the Grand National or the Gold Cup does not compare to the nerves that come with competing on the show.  Russell, who bowed out from the saddle in December 2022 before briefly returning to race-riding for his long-time ally Gordon Elliott after Jack Kennedy broke his leg the following January, has heaped praise on his dancing...