Croke Park

What makes his story genuinely compelling is the journey to get here. Elliott has admitted that Croke Park disappointed him as a hurdler — the trainer had high hopes early on, but the horse was too big and weak to deliver on them. That's a notable thing for a trainer to say publicly: this was a horse who looked like he might not fulfil his potential. Then he switched to chasing, and everything changed. He won two Grade 1 races — the very top level of the sport — earlier this season. Grade 1s are the races that matter most, the ones that define careers, and Croke Park won two of them. Elliott put it plainly: he was delighted.

His last win came at Leopardstown on St Stephen's Day 2024, now sixteen months ago, and his recent form reads 18-13-3-3-3-7 — a string of placed finishes without getting back to the winner's enclosure. His most recent run, just a day ago, saw him tire late, and Elliott has acknowledged that Punchestown likely found him out at the end. But the trainer's tone is optimistic rather than concerned: he expects significant improvement from that run, and the next decision is a big one — either a crack at a Grade 1 at Down Royal or a Grade 2 for less-exposed horses. Either way, Elliott believes the answer will tell him whether Croke Park belongs among the best staying chasers in training.

When Jack Kennedy rides him, the results are striking — three wins from five races together, a 60% win rate. That's not a coincidence; it's the kind of partnership that matters in big races. At 8 years old and racing at the highest level, Croke Park is entering the years when horses like him tend to either cement their legacy or quietly fade. Right now, every sign points toward the former.