The Wallpark

The Wallpark took another step forward on Saturday when he won the Pertemps qualifier at Cheltenham. Settled back in the field early on by Jordan Gainford, he dropped back to 11th of the 12 runners as they raced to the top of the hill, admittedly in a bunched field, he wasn't that far off the leaders, but he travelled well down the hill over the third last and second last flights, and he moved into fifth place as they rounded the home turn. He didn't have a whole lot of racing room on the inside around the home turn, but he picked up well on the run to the final flight, jumped that obstacle well and hit the front half way up the run-in. He ran on strongly all the way up the hill to the line, putting two and a half lengths between himself and his rivals by the time he got there.

This was probably a career-best from Gordon Elliott's horse, his fourth win in his last four races. Winner of a handicap hurdle at Kilbeggan in July off a mark of 129, he appeared to appreciate the test of stamina that Galway presented in winning his next two races there, and, stepped up to three miles on Saturday for the first time, he improved again. Gordon Elliott said after each of his wins at Galway that the Pertemps qualifier at Cheltenham in October was on his radar, with the Final in March a real possibility, and that may still be the plan. A 7lb hike for Saturday's win takes him to a mark of 152, and that is towards the upper end of where you want to be if you are going to win a Pertemps Final. Only one winner of the race since the turn of the century - Sire Du Berlais in 2020, also trained by Gordon Elliott - was rated 150 or higher. That said, The Wallpark is only six and, if he continues with this rate of progression, the good graded staying hurdles could quickly come onto his radar.

Cheltenham 26th October, 2024





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