---
title: "Dramatic u-turn sees Tombstone run in Coral Cup"
canonical: "https://readhorseracing.com/2017/03/08/dramatic-u-turn-sees-tombstone-run-coral-cup/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Daniel Archer"
section: "News"
published: "2017-03-08T16:11:17Z"
modified: "2017-03-08T16:11:17Z"
---

# Dramatic u-turn sees Tombstone run in Coral Cup

He had been identified as an each-way player for the Grade One Stan James Champion Hurdle but the Gigginstown House Stud-owned gelding Tombstone will now not be supplemented for the two-mile Championship contest and will instead head for the Coral Cup, a handicap hurdle over two and a half-miles.

Trained by Gordon Elliott, connections of the seven-year-old had hinted that an assault on the Coral Cup was likely after the gelding was given an attractive handicap mark of 149, just 1lb above his Irish mark, leading owners Gigginstown keen on plundering one of the Festival’s trickiest handicap puzzles.

Speaking last week, Gigginstown racing manager Eddie O’Leary, brother of Gigginstown supremo Michael O’Leary (pictured above), said:

> Tombstone is only 1lb higher than his new Irish mark and that opens up the possibility of him running in either the Coral Cup or the County Hurdle instead of being supplemented to the Champion. We will think about it for a bit longer before making a call.

It now seems Gigginstown have reached a decision which has seen him harden in the Coral Cup and is now as short as 9/2 with Ladbrokes, Paddy Power and Betway.

O’Leary ended the speculation by commenting on Wednesday:

> He’ll go for the Coral Cup. We’ve got Petit Mouchoir in the Champion Hurdle. It’s purely based on the fact we want to look after Tombstone this year and save him for next year, when we think he will make a lovely chaser.

The seven-year-old has been handled with kid gloves by Elliott with the son of Robin Des Champs finishing an excellent 12 and a half-lengths fourth in a superb renewal of the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, highlighted by the three horses who beat him that day: Arkle hope Altior, Min and Champion Hurdle favourite Buveur D’Air.

This season, the Irish-bred gelding was two and three-quarter lengths behind Jessica Harrington’s Jezki at Navan in January before turning the tables on Harrington’s charge with a four-length victory in the Grade Three Red Mills Hurdle last time out – in what was a pretty impressive performance from Tombstone.

Elliott is a dab hand at readying horses for Cheltenham’s ultra-competitive handicap ratings and took this race last year with the well-backed Diamond King. He looks to have another decent chance of landing the prize this year.