All about the future for Gainford as he adds to burgeoning reputation

IT SPEAKS volumes for the dominance of Willie Mullins that, on day one of the Dublin Racing Festival on Saturday, his big rival in Ireland Gordon Elliott had to go to Sandown to get on the Grade 1 scoresheet.

It wasn’t long ago that we were talking of a big four over jumps in Ireland, but this season more than ever it has felt like Mullins has opened up a gap on Elliott, Henry de Bromhead and Joseph O’Brien at the top, a feeling confirmed by the fact Mullins landed six of the eight Grade 1s on offer at Leopardstown across the weekend.

Gerri Colombe’s victory in the Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase might have been overshadowed by events at Leopardstown but there is a chance those of us at Sandown witnessed two future stars over jumps.

He is now favourite for the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase, but the feeling from winning connections at Sandown was that he would appreciate genuinely soft ground and owner Brian Acheson did not exactly sound desperate to run at Cheltenham next month.

Instead he kept coming back to the 2024 Cheltenham Gold Cup, which tells you exactly what Acheson and Elliott feel they might have on their hands, especially when the going gets tough over even further.

Saturday was the first time the Sandown faithful had been introduced to Gerri Colombe but they are better acquainted with his rider Jordan Gainford (above), whose only previous visit to the Esher track came last

April when he won the bet365 Gold Cup on Hewick.

A quietly confident 22-yearold, Gainford maintained his 100 per cent record at the track with an impressive performance in the saddle. Rather than panic when taken on by Balco Coastal after the Railway fences, Gainford trusted Gerri Colombe’s stamina to come to the fore in the home straight and his partner did not disappoint him.

It has been an interesting few weeks for Gainford, hailed as a future champion in Ireland but having to wait for his moment in the spotlight at Elliott’s Cullentra stable after Davy Russell was brought back from retirement to stand in for injured stable number one Jack Kennedy.

Having impressed in the saddle, Gainford was just as impressive when that subject was broached at Sandown, proving he has exactly the right mentality to reach the top.

“I’m not a man who expects something,” he said. “If I get it, all well and good, but I’m still young and I’ve been taught that way since I started. Whatever comes my way we’ll try and take it with both hands. Davy is world-class and an idol of mine.”

While Gerri Colombe might be one for the 2024 Cheltenham Gold Cup, the favourite for this year’s race galloped eight lengths clear of his closest rival in the Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup on Saturday, yet the victory didn’t convince everyone.

Those on course appeared largely happy to begin his proclamation for the Gold Cup, but the opinion of those looking in from further afield was far more mixed.

Some bookmakers marginally lengthened his odds for Cheltenham after the performance, with Betfair now biggest at 7-4, but it should be remembered Galopin Des Champs (above) was already a 13-8 shot for the Gold Cup before Saturday’s race and his price was never likely to get much shorter regardless of what happened at Leopardstown.

The most likely Gold Cup winner he might be but we said the same about Mullins stalwart Florida Pearl, who won four Irish Gold Cups yet never managed to get the job done at Cheltenham.

Tactics will be hugely significant come Cheltenham. If they go steady early, surely Galopin Des Champs will be too quick for his rivals, but will the likes of Paul Nicholls, Dan Skelton and even Mullins’ nephew Emmet really allow that to happen when their arsenal is made up of strong stayers?

If it turns into a slog, then a lot can change in that final quarter-mile in the Gold Cup.