Gerri Colombe

Owned by Robcour Racing, under the auspices of Irish multi-millionaire Brian Acheson, and trained by Gordon Elliott in Longwood, County Meath, Gerri Colombe is a nine-year-old gelding who has won 10 of his 14 races under Rules, including five Grade 1 steeplechases. By useful jumps sire Saddle Maker, from the family of Sadler’s Wells, out of a mare by Cadoudal, whose progeny include Big Buck’s and Long Run, he is certainly bred to be a steeplechaser.

Interestingly, though, for all his success elsewhere, Gerri Colombe has been to the Cheltenham Festival twice and has been beaten, although far from disgraced, twice. After winning his first three starts over fences, including the Faugheen Novice Chase at Limerick and the Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase at Sandown, he was sent off 5/4 favourite for the Broadway Novices’ Chase in 2023, but went down by a short-head to the aggressively ridden The Real Whacker. In 2024, he was sent off 13/2 second favourite for the Cheltenham Gold Cup, but had no answer to reigning champion Galopin Des Champs in the closing stages and was eventually beaten three and a half lengths.

Gerri Colombe resumed winning ways on his final start of 2023/24, when justifying favouritism in the William Hill Bowl Chase at Aintree, although only just, by half a length from Ahoy Senor, who was officially rated 12lb inferior. On his reappearance in 2024/25, he could finish only third of five, beaten 13½ lengths, behind Envoy Allen in the Ladbrokes Champion Chase at Down Royal, the first time he had finished outside the first two in his career. Of course, he may well have needed that race, but missed the Savills Chase at Leopardstown over Christmas after working poorly and, according to his trainer, could conceivably head straight to the Cheltenham Gold Cup without another run.