I had really been looking forward to seeing GERRI COLOMBE mixing it with the big boys this season as I had him pegged as the best staying novice ‘chaser around last season, despite his unlucky defeat at this year Cheltenham Festival.
Yesterday he took his first step out of novice class when he ran in the Grade 1 Ladbrokes Champion Chase and he put up a performance that sees my own 8/1 Gold cup ante-post voucher now golden, as he’s been trimmed into 5/1 clear second favourite behind last years winner, GALLOPIN DES CHAMPS.
That was no mugs race yesterday. He was taking on an Irish Gold Cup winner, and a Ryanair Chase winner and whilst nothing went at all right for him, he managed to snatch that victory from what looked very much like those jaws of defeat.
Jack Kennedy was concerned that the pacemaker, CONFLATED, was jumping left and into him, at every fence. He was desperate to get inside that horse but could not do so because CONFLATED kept quacking at the back of each fence so, he sat and suffered.
To my eye it made GERRI COLOMBE “edgy” and he made some proper “novicey” mistakes. Despite all of this, he always looked to be travelling best and coming into the straight he moved up alongside CONFLATED, only for that horse to jump so badly left he nearly wiped out GERRI COLOMBE, who now emerged third best of the three going to the last, Rachel Blackmore on ENVOI ALLEN, sticking to the inside and going into the lead at the last.
I have no idea what price GERRI COLOMBE traded as he was three lengths down heading up the run in.
Kennedy switched right, still a few lengths down and got stuck in. GERRI COLOMBE, a proper stayer of a horse, dug deep, found a surge pf speed and flew past the second and third placed horses, to win going away.
After the race Kennedy said, “For things to go so wrong for him and still win shows that he’s a really good horse. He will come on plenty for that run”.
Trainer, Gordon Elliott, was chuffed to bit with the performance, “We’re delighted with him and he’ll come on a good deal for that, his first run in open company”. he continued by saying, “we’ve only had him in since September 19th so there is loads of improvement. one more run, then the Gold Cup!”.
Subscribed members of itscheltenham.com are already on, my having put him up very early as the Gold Cup winner 2024.
Onwards and upwards!
