AFTER a fantastic five-timer on Saturday’s opening card of the Navan Racing Festival, the Gordon Elliott battalions kept rolling into Troytown Chase day with a hat-trick on Sunday at Navan - bringing the Cullentra haul to eight winners across the weekend.

Elliott has won the Grade 3 John Lynch Carpets & Flooring Monksfield Novice Hurdle with the likes of Samcro, Death Duty and Fury Road in recent years, and The Yellow Clay joined that smart roll of honour with a commanding success as 8/11 favourite under Jack Kennedy. The leading rider registered a five-timer of his own over the two days.

A homebred for Noel and Valerie Moran’s Bective Stud, the Grade 1-placed bumper performer had too much class for his rivals and was trimmed to 12/1 (from 16/1) with Paddy Power for the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle after this.

Speaking after the 10-length success over Where’s My Jet, Elliott said: “You'd imagine we’ll now go to the Lawlor's Of Naas Novice Hurdle [at Naas in January]. He's a nice horse and has always done everything well at home.

“I loved the way that when he made the mistake at the second last, Jack squeezed him and he let him back onto the bridle. I thought it was a good performance - he quickened away from them. He has a great attitude and a great way of racing. He’s so laid back.”

Deadly Days

Bective, while out of luck with sixth-placed American Mike in the Bar One Racing Troytown, managed to seal a personal four-timer at the Navan Racing Festival when Better Days Ahead showed too much for Supreme Novices’ Hurdle winner Slade Steel in a what ought to be an informative Race And Stay Irish EBF Beginners Chase.

Last season’s Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle winner was always to the fore over two and a half miles in this four-runner affair and had four lengths to spare over Slade Steel at the line.

The market had anticipated a different result, with the winner sent off at 2/1 and the runner-up returning as 1/2 favourite. On the whole, Slade Steel jumped adequately for a chasing debutant, while Better Days Ahead was never better than when sent on at the final fence for a big leap. He guessed at fourth but was accurate enough overall to get the job done decisively.

Elliott was thrilled for the winning owners to pull off a four-timer over the weekend and said: “We bought this horse off Warren Ewing a couple of years ago to be a big chaser. He looks like a chaser but it has been a slow burner to where we are getting with these horses.

“Noel and Valerie [Moran] are massive supporters of Cullentra and they have invested a lot of money in racing. They are getting their dividends now. It takes time to get where we are and to get winners for them at Navan, their local track, is like a dream come true. I'm absolutely delighted for them and this is a special weekend.”

On what could be next for Better Days Ahead, who was cut to 12/1 (from 25/1) with Bet365 for the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase, Elliott added: “He’s entered in the Drinmore, that might just come a bit too soon. We will look at something probably around Christmas. He’s a Martin Pipe winner and that’s a race that good horses come out of.”

The most valuable success in the Elliott hat-trick on day two of the Navan Racing Festival was Stuzzikini’s €100,000 triumph in the Bar One Racing Troytown Chase under Gavin Brouder.

All told, Elliott has recorded a whopping 25 winners across the last 21 days.