Stellar Story

That Cheltenham win was no fluke. His jockey Danny Gilligan noted after the race that his jumping had really started to come together, calling it a great performance and suggesting better days lay ahead. Trainer Gordon Elliott — whose Longwood yard in County Meath has sent out an extraordinary 209 winners this season alone — has spoken about Stellar Story's potential on wet or muddy ground in particular. The numbers back that up sharply: on wet ground he has won 2 of just 3 races, a 67% win rate that is remarkable by any measure. When conditions are testing, this horse is a different animal.

The honest part of the story is that the last win came at Punchestown in November 2024, now 17 months ago, and the last six races have produced no victories — though he has placed in several of them, finishing second or third four times in that run. He is clearly still running well and competing at a high level; he just has not quite converted. For a horse with his profile, that kind of winless streak raises a question rather than sounding an alarm.

What makes Stellar Story genuinely interesting right now is timing. He raced just one day ago and Elliott has hinted publicly that if soft ground arrives on Gold Cup day at Cheltenham, this horse could outrun his odds. He describes him as a proper stayer who likes the track — and given what happened there in March 2024, that is not wishful thinking from a trainer. Elliott has also flagged a possible tilt at the Brown Advisory Chase, another top-level Cheltenham target, noting that when Stellar Story's jumping clicks into gear, there is a big day in him. At nine, he is at the age where horses either deliver on their best form or fade away. The Cheltenham factor suggests the former is still very much possible.