Envoi Allen Bidding For Third Win In Down Royal Feature

Envoi Allen might remain in the golden of his career at the age of 11, but optimism is high in the Cheveley Park camp that their popular veteran can bag himself a 3rd in the BetVictor Champion Chase at Down Royal on Saturday.


It is six and a half years given that Envoi Allen broke his Grade One duck in the Champion Bumper, the very first of three triumphs at Cheltenham Festival while his overall top-level tally stands at 9.


There have been a couple of bumps in the road along the way, however Henry de Bromhead's charge has actually been near irreproachable in the very first Grade One of the Irish dives season in each of the previous three seasons, with victories in 2022 and 2024 sandwiching a neck-long defeat at the hands of Gerri Colombe in 2023.


He has been off the track because completing third in the Ryanair Chase at Cheltenham in March and Cheveley Park Stud director Richard Thompson is thrilled to see him go back to a happy hunting ground this weekend.


He said: "He's been a wonderful horse, what a journey he's taken us on.


"He's won nine Grade Ones and is a three-time Cheltenham Festival winner.


Envoi Allen winning last year ´ s Ladbrokes Champion Chase (Brian Lawless/PA)


"This will probably be his last season, I would think, so let's how he works on Saturday and go from there.


"He has actually had a couple of down days, however there have been a lot more excellent days than bad. Even the times he's been beaten at Cheltenham he's been positioned in a Champion Chase and a Ryanair - his CV is simply fantastic.


"Henry says he keeps his interest and if he can get 10 Grade Ones it would be remarkable, however as the old saying he goes he owes us absolutely nothing."


Spillane's Tower is a notable non-runner due to inappropriate ground while Gordon Elliott also eliminated Stellar Story.


He still saddles the returning Found A Fifty, Galway Plate and PWC Champion Chase winner Western Fold, with the field completed by Noel Meade's Affordale Fury and Keith Watson's rank outsider Flash Collonges.