The decision by Robcour to switch Soviet Pimpernel from Peter Fahey to Gordon Elliott may have raised a few eyebrows, but it almost yielded immediate dividends when he made his first start for the yard at Killarney last week. His final start for the Fahey team reads well with hindsight, as his 2nd placed finish to subsequent Punchestown Festival winner El Barra has worked out well. Gordon Elliott chose to switch him back to hurdles after a 64-day break and he ran with a lot of credit when 3rd to the very progressive Shewearsitwell at Killarney. Having been settled in rear, he made eye-catching headway in the closing stages to eventually be beaten less than 4-lengths. That was his first run over hurdles since the Supreme Novices hurdle in 2020 and was a very promising start for his new yard. On that evidence, he should reverse the form with the 2nd placed Off You Go and in receipt of weight from his main rivals on ratings, he should prove hard to beat here.
