Gordon Elliott puts Grand National in mind for Presenting Percy

With the Grand National in mind, Irish trainer Gordon Elliott took to the media to claim that Presenting Percy could feature and was surprised to find out that the newly-recruited colt is as big as 33-1 for the Grand National.

In 2018, Presenting Percy was able to throw off Al-Boum, who won the Gold Cup twice, in the RSA Chase as he went on to win the race. The 9-year-old colt has not been able to win over fences ever since, and it is unknown if the colt’s departure from Pat Kelly’s stable was related to this outcome.

While contending in the Gold Cup in September, Presenting Percy fell two out in the race, with odds offered to different horses for itv7 during the event. He is currently being priced between 20-1 and 28-1 for the Grand National, of which Elliott has laid claims of it being his top priority.

While speaking on Betfair’s Podcast, Elliott said: “Presenting Percy is not your typical big three-mile chase. He’s a short-coupled horse but he’s got a real deep girth, so loads of room there for oxygen, and a good heart.

“We’re happy with what he’s shown us at home. He’s being trained for the Gold Cup at the moment, but I have the English Grand National in the back of my mind.

“I think he’s the type of horse who would suit the race. He’s got a lot of class. He travels. He jumps. 33-1? Yes, that wouldn’t be bad. It could be a lot shorter on the day if he turns up.”

Should Elliott bring up Presenting Percy at Aintree Racecourse in April, the nine-year-old colt will have to struggle with two-time champion Tiger Roll.

The 42-year-old Irish trainer continued: “It was a very rushed preparation to get Tiger Roll to Cheltenham last year as he got a little setback, as everyone knows. He was very tired after Cheltenham. He had a hard race and he was stiff and sore after the race. If you watch the re-run again, he loses his hind-end a little bit turning in, and he was sore.

“I think it might have been a blessing in disguise [no Grand National run]. He’s a fresh horse this year. He’s absolutely bouncing at the moment. I’m not sure where I’m going to start him off yet, but he’s definitely going to have an entry in Down Royal in the big chase because if the ground turned up quick, you’d be nervous about running Presenting Percy or Delta Work.’’

“The cross-country at Cheltenham is a big priority for me and he’ll be trained for Cheltenham, number one, and the Aintree Grand National, number two.”

In other news for Elliott is Felix Desky securing a victory in his fencing debut on Monday in the Avenue Hotel Beginners Chase at Killarney?

Felix Desjy, who didn’t race for 430 days after a run at Punchestown, was a Grade One winner at Aintree over hurdles back in 2019.

The biggest rival for Desjy in the race at Killarney was Espion Du Chenet, who competed for a long while before Jack Kennedy rode Desjy home to secure a victory with a 31 lengths margin.

The Elliott-owned horse was seen during the race showcasing his ability to jump large obstacles, which made the jockey, Kennedy satisfied.