It would be fair to say that Smiling Eliza has struggled for form since she exploded onto the Gordon Elliott Racing Club scene last summer bringing us three wins at Navan, Down Royal and Punchestown. She also placed several times, ran at The Curragh and Aintree all of which led to serious talk of her going to Cheltenham. It would be more accurate to say that she has looked a completely different horse since then and not in a good way. After a busy summer, she carried on into the mild winter and lost her way at 2 mile and as a result has been tried at 2m 2f and 2m 4f to see if it could spark something in her but to no avail. The club star had become a fallen star. Last day out at Ballinrobe, she was back over 2m but that didn't work out either so when she was entered in the Tote Backing Your Team Handicap Hurdle over 2 mile, I think some of the club were hoping she could maybe regain some form and find her way into the places while more were probably thinking we'd seen the best of her.
Davy Russell was maybe one of those but he had the ride and as wonderful a Jockey as he is, I've been in the racing club for a year and a half now and never been in the winning enclosure with him. I had a look at the odds about 15 minutes before the race and she was 20/1. I deliberated for about 10 minutes whether to put any money on her, with nothing in her recent form giving me any good reason to part with my readies. Suddenly, a thought entered my head. I was in a hotel room in London cooling down from an afternoon walking around the capital in 25 degree heat. The sun was beaming in through the hotel window and I had to move to the other side of the room to escape it. My mind went back to last year and her run at The Curragh in particular when during the heatwave it was so hot she was kept out of the heat of the parade ring for as long as possible but went on to run a cracker. "She's a summer horse" I reasoned and went back in to put on a bet. It was a couple of minutes before the start but her price had dropped to 14's so that confirmed that something may be afoot and I got the money on. She ended up going off at 11's. I'd love to know what prompted this gamble and asked the only club member in attendance, Justin O'Donovan who thought it was simply down to the fact it was a Gordon Elliott trained horse ridden by Davy Russell but also this time last year she was rated 10lbs higher than anything else in the race and she'd had a nice little break of about 6 weeks.
And so to the race. I was delighted to see Davy riding her handy from the start and not long after they got away she had the outright lead which was a new tactic. She was travelling well, jumping great and suddenly she was still in the lead four from home. Surely she couldn't stay there, could she? Cappacon tried to come along side Eliza but was already being ridden and our girl was still on the bridle. Going over the third last, it was the horse behind, Give Battle, that worried me. Davy told Eliza to go as they cleared it. Give Battle was untidy but cruised up to dispute the lead seemingly with plenty more in the tank. Neither jumped the second last well and it was at about this point I thought simultaneously "She could win this" and "That other horse is going to win this". Regardless, Smiling Eliza was back. I had all but given up on her winning but she was still just in the lead from the favourite. Motcomb Street attacked from the stand side but couldn't sustain it. Over the last, it was Give Battle by a head. Eliza wasn't giving up though. This filly is all heart. She knows how to win and the man on her back is one of the greatest in the game. As they came up the run in Eliza got her head in front again "WHERE'S THE LINE?" I was screaming as I watched the race live on my phone. "HOLD ON ELIZA! HOLD ON GIRL! OH NO HE'S CATCHING HER, WHERE'S THE LINE?".
As they raced neck and neck to the line, I'd, again, given up on her winning. Brilliant run though. Eliza is back. Beaten on the nod. But wait. The still frame looked like the horse on the far side, Smiling Eliza, had won it by a nostril. There was an agonising wait to see if the picture was telling the truth and then finally it was announced that the winner was Number 3, Smiling Eliza. What a performance by the star of the Gordon Elliott Racing Club. Pure guts on that run in and a first trip to the winners enclosure this year. Davy told Irishracing.com afterwards "She was very game and had the four year old allowance. I felt before the race that she had maxed out but again the man who trains her finds these opportunities".
Another great day for the GERC and with 3 more runners over the next few days I wouldn't rule out another winner. You know what they say about buses. And what next for Smiling Eliza? Well we'll have to see how she comes out of this but hopefully we see more of her over the rest of the summer. Galway is in two and a half weeks so might come too soon but you never know. She's back in form in her favourite time of the year so looking forward to seeing where she goes next. Well done to Gordon and everyone at Cullentra for getting her back to her best and of course to Davy for sending her over the winning line like the shooting star she is.
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