Brian Ellison looks to break Cheltenham duck
Brian Ellison has never had a Cheltenham Festival winner, he's comes close and heart-breakingly close with his star 2M chaser Latalomne who fell two out in the Queen Mother Champion Chase in 2002 when travelling really well, but this year he looks to have some decent chances of breaking that duck with a strong team travelling down from the North.
He'll be double-handed in the Coral Cup with Abergavenny and Marsh Warbler, the former has been crying out for a longer trip and having been beaten for speed in the Betfair Hurdle when making the running he'll very much appreciate this longer trip. Marsh Warbler also needs this trip now and although he was injured in his last outing at Kelso he has responded well to treatment and will form a one-two punch with Abergavenny. Fans of on line racing need to bear this in mind.
Bocciani is a versatile horse who has won for Ellison under all disciplines but he'll be going over hurdles at the Festival in the Martin Pipe Conditionals race, he had a reputation for not being an easy horse to handle prior to joining Ellison but has looked more of a finished article this season and he'll have an outside chance in a competitive heat.
Having been two-handed in the coral Cup, Ellison is going to go one better in the Fred Winter Novices' Handicap Hurdle and run three – Artisan, Royal Opera, Red Inca. All look to be capable of running good solid races without being handicapped to win in what will be a very competitive big-field handicap. Those looking at the Cheltenham betting should remember this.
Stormy Weather is a horse who has been transformed by a wind operation and he's been running very well this year although he was defeated on Saturday at Newcastle by Palawi in a race that he really needed to win. His current rating of 126 would probably not see him scrape into his intended target the Vincent O'Brien County Handicap Hurdle and it will be in the hands of the handicapper to see if he raises him the necessary few pounds for his Newcastle run in order to get in. If he does the pace of the race will suit him and remember he was fifth in the Fred Winter race here at the Festival last year.
Brian Ellison's final member of the Cheltenham squad is Ultimate who runs in the last of the 27 races at the Festival – the Grand Annual. He was disappointing last time out at Musselburgh but apparently he coughed a few times after the race and seems to be better now. He's a useful horse on his day and forms an integral part of the Ellison Cheltenham Festival team which is bidding to break their Festival duck this year and look to have a decent chance of doing so.
