Elliott off the mark at Cheltenham Festival

It was a day of mixed fortunes for Meath trainers at Cheltenham today with Gordon Elliott the only local handler to score when Jazzy Matty landed the Boodles Juvenile Hurdle at odds of 18/1.

Stamullen's John McConnell looked well placed to win the concluding National Hunt Challenge Cup when Mahler Mission was four lengths clear when jumping the second last, but then fell.

McConnell's misfortune looked to have opened the door for Elliott's Chemical Energy who took up the lead and three lengths clear approaching the last. However inside the final furlong 10/11 favourite Gaillard Du Mesnil swooped to justify his odds for Willie and Paddy Mullins.

Chemical Energy was Elliott's third placed finisher after Queens Brook ran on to take third behind the stunning Honeysuckle in the Mares Hurdle, while in the preceding Champion Hurdle Bective Stud's Zanahiyr was third at odds of 66/1, 13 lengths behind the sensational Constitution Hill.

In between those placed finishes came Elliott's winner, Jazzy Matty.

The four-year-old, partnered by conditional rider Mikey O'Sullivan, edged out Byker and Risk Belle close home to score by a neck and a nose respectively. O’Sullivan was registering a 103.5-1 Champion Day double, following the success of Marine Nationale in the opening Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.

“Thanks very much to Gordon (Elliott) and the Browns for putting me on him," said O'Sullivan.

"It’s great for them. I suppose I’m claiming five pounds in Ireland and only three over here, so I’ve probably lost a couple of rides in handicaps because of that, but in fairness to Gordon he kept me on him and he got a nice light weight.

“He got a fright at the first hurdle and he was just very careful after that. I thought we went very slow and he’s a big horse, so I gave him plenty of room and he travelled everywhere for me.

"I knew coming to the last he was wrong but I didn’t want to confuse him because he was actually being careful up to then.

"I was confident enough I had plenty of horse left and I’d say he won with a bit in hand. He’ll be a nice horse going forward. I felt I was always getting there and to pick up again up the hill on good ground was very good.

“Dad is amazing. I grew up listening to stories of him riding and how good he was - he rode a Festival winner and was a very accomplished amateur, and in fairness to Dad he never pushed me too much, but when he saw I had interest, he gave me every opportunity.

"He drove me all over the country and spent a lot of money sending me eventing and showjumping, and it’s great that it’s paying off. Dad kills himself with hard work at home on the farm, and it’s great that he’s here today.”

O’Sullivan’s father Willie told ITV Racing: “It’s unreal. I couldn’t be prouder. He’s worked very hard at his riding all his life and I couldn’t be happier for him. He really deserves it.

“He has [maturity beyond his years] but he was always very level-headed and he always thought a lot about what he was doing.

"He was very committed to his studies and when he started riding, he was very committed to getting things right before he even sat on the horses, and studying the form.”

O’Sullivan senior, who rode the 1991 Foxhunter winner Lovely Citizen, said: “That was a long time ago! That was a different era. It is totally different now, way more professional.”

On how he’s been able to help his son, he said: “There's questions on the way to ride some horses and you try to help him the best you can, but he does a lot of the studying himself. He gets a lot of help from a lot of people, the other jockeys are all full of advice to him and that really helps him. You’re only as good as your last ride, and hopefully it will keep going for him.

“I was very nervous [watching the Supreme], just hoping things would go right for him. It was a fierce achievement to get a ride like that in the Supreme from Barry Connell and he was just hoping that Barry Connell’s trust in him paid off and thank God it did.

“That [the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle] was a beautiful ride, thanks very much to Gordon Elliott.”

Gordon Elliott said:" That's better as we had hit the crossbar a few times earlier and the horse has done well to win as he was stuck out a bit wider than was ideal in a tight race like that, but thankfully it made no difference in the end.

"There is every chance he will now go to Aintree as I think that course will suit him even better."

Elliott also went close in the second race in the card, the Ultima Handicap Chase when The Goffer ran a good race to finish fourth behind defending champion Corach Rambler.