Gordon Elliott: My Thursday runners at Aintree and Thurles

Gordon is in fine form right now

After Shrapnel became his seventh winner in the last four days at Downpatrick yesterday, Gordon Elliott goes into day one of the Aintree festival in good shape. He assesses the chances of his two Aintree runners, as well as two back home in Thurles 

14:00 Aintree
Flaxen Flare

He was a facile winner of the Fred Winter at the Cheltenham festival in March, and the first time blinkers worked a treat on him that day so we have decided to keep them on again here today. This is undoubtedly a massive step-up in grade, as the Fred Winter is a handicap and this is a Grade One, so we are under no illusion that he will need to have improved significantly from Cheltenham to here to be in with a shout.

However, in saying that, I think the flatter track should suit him and if he can reproduce his Fred Winter form he'd have a solid each way chance. You can never really be sure how these horses come out Cheltenham until they run again, so if he's in the same form I'd expect him to be competitive. Flaxen Flares' owners, The Sloans, have had a terrific last few weeks with the likes of this lad and Realt Mor, as too has their regular rider Davy Condon. Davy takes the ride here again today and if he can reproduce the form that he was in at the festival in March, I'd be hopeful he could pick up some prize money. 

16:50 Aintree
Carlito Brigante

The ground just went against him in the listed Rewards4racing handicap chase on the opening day of the Cheltenham festival, and he was never able to get competitive after being hampered at the 11th, which was disappointing as it had been his target all season long. Davy Russell eventually pulled him up four fences from home, as his chance had gone at that stage, so I'd like to think we could put a line through that run at the festival and just hope he gets a bit more luck in running today.

Again, this is a massive step up in grade for this horse and he looks to have it all to do on the ratings. He's coming up against the likes of Nicky Henderson's dual grade one winning chaser Captain Conan and Paul Nicholls' smart French recruit Fago here amongst others, so it looks a stiff task. We've replaced the cheekpieces with the blinkers today, which will help him, while he'll be very much suited by the drying ground and the 2m4f trip. Jason Maguire is booked to take the ride and I'd be hoping that with a clear round he could put in a good performance in what is his toughest assignment to date over fences.

16:10 Thurles
Toner D'oudairies

He was another one of ours that the ground just went against at the Cheltenham festival, and he just didn't get home on the soft ground under Keith Donoghue in the Martin Pipe handicap hurdle. He went through the race very well that day and showed himself to be in great form, but he just couldn't recover from a mistake three out on the soft ground. We had hoped to run him over fences at the festival but he didn't get into any of the races we had targeted for him.

He's back over fences today and he's been schooling well at home over the bigger obstacles since the festival, and I'd be hopeful that he could put in a good performance in what looks a winnable type of race, with Willie Mullins' Cadspeed and Henry De Bromhead's Lord Ben rating the main dangers. As I said previously, you never fully know how they are after the festival until they race again, but he seems well in himself. Davy Russell is booked to take the ride today, and on drying ground over the trip of 2m2f I'd be hopeful of him being in the money today.

19:40 Thurles
Very Wood 

He was second in a point-to-point at Punchestown at the start of February, only beaten a head close home by a rallying winner. He had marked himself out as a talented sort that day, and he atoned for that head defeat at Oldtown in March when quickening away from the field nicely to land a point-to-point by four lengths. He's looked a smart type at home, and he's done everything right up to this point. He's only a four-year-old though and he's still learning, but I'm in no doubt that he will make a smashing chaser once he goes over fences.

We took the big Racing Post champion point-to-point bumper at Fairyhouse on Monday with Akorakor, and while this lad is a similarly bred sort out of a French mare, I wouldn't like to compare them and all I could do is just hope he runs as well. Jane Mangan gave Akorakor a superbly judged ride on Monday, and she takes the ride for the same connections again here today. You can never really tell how strong the point-to-point form is until it all pans out, but I was very impressed with his Oldtown win and if he can improve on that here I'd expect him to run a big race.