Teahupoo© Photo Healy Racing
Gordon Elliott notched back-to-back victories in the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle as Teahupoo stormed up the Cheltenham hill for Festival glory.
The seven-year-old could only finish third behind veteran stablemate Sire Du Berlais when sent off the 9-4 favourite 12 months ago, but made no mistake on his return to Prestbury Park in the hands of Jack Kennedy – who along with the Cullentra House handler was getting off the mark for the week.
Sent off the well-backed 5-4 favourite having not been seen since claiming a second Hatton’s Grace in December, he was ridden with plenty of confidence and also plenty of daylight as he charted a wide path on his latest trip to the Cotswolds.
Kennedy inched his mount into contention two out and although not fluent at the penultimate flight, he was hot on the tail of Flooring Porter as the business end approached.
Fellow Irish raiders Home By The Lee and Buddy One were also in the mix on the long run to the last but Teahupoo soon cemented his dominance and having jumped the final flight with a narrow advantage, he was not for catching in the closing stages as he sprinted clear of the gallant Flooring Porter.
Elliott said: “He’s best fresh so we said we’d come straight here. Listen, it’s great to get a winner. They’ve been running well, just hitting the crossbar, they’ve had no excuses but to win the Stayers’ Hurdle is unbelievable and I’m delighted for the whole team.
“It’s difficult to tell myself to stay patient when you don’t have a winner, it’s been a long couple of days but they’ve bene running well. We’ve got one now. This was always going to be our best day, this was one of our biggest guns.
“I was a little anxious when he missed the second-last and then he probably got there too soon because he had to give him a squeeze.
“I think he’s a stronger horse this year and saddling him I thought he’d grown.
“He’ll stay hurdling, we’ll never say never but at the moment he’ll stay hurdling. There are some nice races at Aintree and Punchestown for him so we’ll have a look at those.”
Of Flooring Porter, Gavin Cromwell said: “I’m delighted with the run, obviously you hate standing in the second place but that’s just the nature of the beast and I don’t think we could have done anything any differently.
“It was a very game performance, he was headed and tried all the way to the line. He was a good second and the winner is a worthy winner.
“We’ll have to consider going to Aintree, we’ll digest this first and we’ll see.
“He’s been a warrior and please God he’s not finished just yet.”
Home By The Lee was third for Joseph O’Brien, who said: “It’s nice to see him come back to himself with two fantastic horses in front of us.”
Paul Gilligan said of the fourth-placed Buddy One: “It was an absolutely super run and if the ground was just a touch better it would have suited him better, but I’m not complaining as to get in this semi-circle here is where you want to be.
“Obviously we were in the winning spot in November and we’ll try to get back in the winning spot here again sometime.
“He was very sore in his back after his last run in Leopardstown and scoped a little wrong as well. He has now proved that he is the horse that we think he is.
“As I’ve said all along it’s horses for courses and he loves this place.
“I’d say I’ll go over fences next season looking at the way he jumps, and it’s just great to have a horse like this for the three men that own him because getting people to back a small yard like ours is near impossible and they’ve invested in this horse and a couple of others. They’re just fantastic men.
“I have every confidence in this horse, he did a piece of work last week and it was just electric, so I did fancy him today.
“I definitely won’t go to Punchestown, we might go to Aintree as he ran very well last year, but we’ll see. I’m not going to abuse the horse and he’s entitled to a very good break now.”
