Gordon Elliott sent a message to the rest of the Irish training ranks on Sunday: he means business this spring.
The Cullentra House handler swept the first three places in the Grade 2 William Hill Boyne Hurdle at Navan, with Staffordshire Knot justifying 11/10 favouritism to lead home stablemates Better Days Ahead and Maxxum. The only other runner, Henry De Bromhead’s Hiddenvalley Lake, finished tailed off in last.
It was a statement performance from the winner, who has rediscovered his form in handicaps this winter after a frustrating 2024/25 campaign over hurdles.
The Staffordshire Knot Resurgence
This was a horse who arrived at Elliott’s yard with a big reputation, but last season’s Grade 2 attempts at Fairyhouse and Cheltenham yielded disappointing results. A switch to handicaps in November has transformed his fortunes.
Since dropping in class, Staffordshire Knot has rattled off three wins and a second in four starts. That runner-up finish came behind Home By The Lee in the Galmoy Hurdle at Gowran Park last month—a horse rated 10lb his superior who went on to finish second in the Stayers’ Hurdle at the Dublin Racing Festival.
The data tells the story. Prior to November 2025, Staffordshire Knot had won just two of his nine hurdle starts. Since switching to the handicapping game, he’s won three of four, beating a combined 37 rivals in the process.
Navan: Elliott’s Happy Hunting Ground
Sunday’s treble was no fluke. Our database shows Elliott has enjoyed remarkable success at Navan over the past two seasons, saddling 42 winners from 277 runners—a 15.2% strike rate that comfortably exceeds his overall yearly average of 13%.
The Boyne Hurdle itself is becoming something of an Elliott stronghold. This was his third win in the race in the last five years, following Samcro (2022) and Delta Work (2024). The trainer has clearly worked out what type of horse is needed for the extended three-mile trip on winter ground at the Meath track.
Jack Kennedy, who rode the winner, noted the improvement: “He seems to enjoy that ground, he jumped well and travelled sweet so hopefully he’s on an upward curve after losing his way a bit last year.”
Cheltenham Target Emerges
The immediate aftermath saw Staffordshire Knot cut to 16/1 (NRNB) for the Pertemps Final at the Cheltenham Festival—a race Elliott won with Good Thyne Tara in 2024.
It’s a logical target. The Pertemps rewards proven staying hurdlers who can handle a stiff finish, and Staffordshire Knot has now won twice at three miles. His rating of 147 suggests he’d have a live chance off a competitive mark, assuming the handicapper doesn’t overreact to this Grade 2 success.
Better Days Ahead, the 100/30 second who was making his first start since the 2025 Irish Grand National, could return to fences for another crack at the Fairyhouse marathon. Elliott confirmed: “I’ll talk to the owners but I’d love to have another go at the Irish National.”
Oscars Brother Completes the Double
Earlier on the card, the trainer almost had his hands on another winner when Oscars Brother—fresh from being purchased by JP McManus—took the Grade 2 Ten Up Novice Chase.
The eight-year-old is now three from three over fences, having graduated through beginners’ company at Galway and Punchestown. His six-length demolition of The Wallpark suggests he’s right at the top of the novice chasing tree this season.
Bookmakers reacted by installing him as an 8/1 chance for the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham. Given McManus’s record in the race—he’s won it four times in the last decade, most recently with Fact To File in 2024—that price may look generous come March.
The Festival Picture
Elliott’s weekend yields underline his squad’s depth heading towards Cheltenham. With the likes of Galopin Des Champs, Majborough, and Brighterdaysahead already established at the top of their respective divisions, the addition of two more Festival contenders from the Navan card strengthens an already imposing hand.
For Staffordshire Knot specifically, the path to the Pertemps Final now looks clear. His recent form figures read 1512, and that last-start second to Home By The Lee looks better with every run the winner puts in. If he arrives at Prestbury Park in similar form to Sunday, he’d be a leading player in a race that has fallen to Irish-trained runners in seven of the last ten years.
The market has taken note. Whether the rest of the Pertemps field should be worried remains to be seen.