Elliott still eyeing Cheltenham for Samcro

Elliott happy with Samcro progress

Gordon Elliott will stick with his plan to take Samcro to Cheltenham for the Champion Hurdle despite his Fighting Fifth Hurdle defeat.

The County Meath hander offered ‘no excuses’ after his favourite was well beaten by Nicky Henderson’s dual Champion Hurdle winner Buveur D’Air, who won by a clear eight lengths to stretch his unbeaten run to 11 races dating back to April 2016.

Buveur D’Air has won two Champions Hurdles at the Cheltenham Festival in that run and will look to make it a hat-trick in March.

Elliott had previously stated his intentions to pitch Samcro into the same race and remains undeterred despite the six-year-old’s sound beating at Newcastle on Saturday.

He said: ‘No excuses.

He’s been beaten by a very, very good horse.

‘ Elliott added: ‘We’ll train him for the Champion Hurdle, there is no question of that.

You can’t be scared of one horse and we’ll probably try to avoid him in the meantime.’

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