Gordon Elliott won his third Grade B Ladbrokes Troytown Handicap Chase in succession, bringing up a four-timer on today's Navan card as Empire Of Dirt on debut for the stable, ran away with the feature race under Bryan Cooper.

This Westerner gelding has been high-profile from the start, costing 325,000 Euros as a three-year-old, and he fell in this race last year when still in with every chance at the third last.

Of course after that he won a Coral.ie Leopardstown Chase and a Brown Advisory & Merriebelle Stable Plate at the Cheltenham festival, under the now retired Colm Murphy's guidance.

Today Empire Of Dirt brought up a hat-trick, starting off for Elliott, asserting from before the last to slam Abolitionist and the game pace-setting mare, Bonny Kate by four lengths and one and a quarter lengths.

The winning trainer sent no less than eleven horses into battle for the three miler, and his market-leader, Noble Endeavor took the fourth spot.

Gigginstown House Stud own Empire Of Dirt and they were enjoying a third winner on the programme, along with their jockey Bryan Cooper, after the earlier successes of Death Duty and Bull Ride

The other Elliott win came about in the opener as Des Sharkey's Brelade did the business under Jack Kennedy.

Elliott reflected afterwards: "It's been a lucky race for me and we have won it for the last three years now. It's the big race at my local track, and to have the first and fourth is brilliant. It was hard to keep an eye on all the horses!

"He came highly recommended from Colm Murphy, and really I've only had to keep him sound in his training.

"We'll look at the Grand National with him now. That will be his long term aim and he won't have to do a lot between now and then as he's high enough. He could have a run over hurdles."

Betfair and Boylesports are both 33/1 about Empire Of Dirt for the Grand National.

(AM & EM)