*Odds quoted on widgets are ante-post prices which means that if your selection does not run for whatever reason, you will lose your stake under traditional ante-post rules
Ballyadam was one of several Cheveley Park runners to catch the eye at Down Royal last weekend as trainer Gordon Elliott continued his storming start to the jumps season.
Having traditionally targeted Down Royal, Elliott didn’t disappoint with The Storyteller, Farouk D’alene, Chemical Energy and Battleoverdoyen all winning while the Cheveley Park-owned quartet of Envoi Allen, Quilixios, Champion Bumper prospect Sir Gerhard and Ballyadam also notched up victories for the County Meath-based trainer.
It was Ballyadam’s performance that really stood out to Paddy Power and Ruby Walsh, with the duo suggesting punters should already be considering including the five-year-old in a ‘trixie’ (3 x doubles, 1 x treble) alongside early Cheltenham Festival favourites, Shishkin and Envoi Allen.
Speaking on the latest episode of our twice-weekly From The Horse’s Mouth podcast, Paddy said: “Ballyadam has Supreme Novices’ Hurdle written all over him.
Ballyadam – all nine jumps from a lovely hurdling debut at @Downroyal.
“He jumped great and will probably get a bit quicker, he’d have learnt plenty today,” says @jackkennedy15.
“He’s a very exciting horse.” @gelliott_racing @CPStudOfficial pic.twitter.com/OeuJpqaW2A
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) October 31, 2020
“And unusually, the targets have already been earmarked for the two great novice hurdlers Envoi Allen and Shishkin.
“Shishkin is going for the Arkle Chase and Envoi Allen is going for the Marsh Novices’ Chase. That’s the plan, and that’s been publicly said as the plan.
“So if they’re not going to take each other on, should we not just do the Double now? They’re not going to do much racing between now and then.”
Ruby Walsh agreed, and also believes Ballyadam has all the attributes to be successful in this year’s Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and should be included in any early Cheltenham bets.
Our resident jockey-turned-pundit claims it is obvious where Gordon Elliott will be aiming Ballyadam this season.
“I think Ballyadam looks a Supreme Novices Hurdle horse with the speed he has, and the stamina backing it up,” said Ruby.
“You can factor in then that he’s going to go to the Royal Bond Novice Hurdle at Fairyhouse and probably go to the Paddy Power Leopardstown meeting at Christmas. Whether he will turn up at the Dublin Racing Festival is the only question mark, but you can plan out where Ballyadam is going to go through the season without having to talk to Gordon Elliott.
“That just looks like the normal progression for him with the space between those races. Fairyhouse, then Leopardstown, then maybe a run in February and then his next run will be the Supreme. You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to figure that out – it’s a pattern, and the pattern is in the book. Most people can look it up and learn it themselves.
“I would say Shishkin is going one way, Envoi Allen is going another way and Ballyadam in the Supreme makes it a trixie.”
*Odds quoted on widgets are ante-post prices which means that if your selection does not run for whatever reason, you will lose your stake under traditional ante-post rules
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