INDO'S RETURN

Gold Cup hero's back for Champion Chase tilt at Down Royal

- PETER O'HEHIR

GOLD Cup victor Minella Indo will face a maximum of six rivals when he makes his seasonal debut in the €125,000 Ladbrokes Champion Chase in Down Royal on Saturday.

And Jack Kennedy, who partnered him to Gold Cup glory, will maintain his partnership with the Henry de Bromhead-trained eight-yearold, last seen when outpointing stable-companion A Plus Tard (expected to reappear in the Bettfair Chase in Haydock next month) up the the Cheltenham hill last March.

Rated 175, he'll bid to give de Bromhead a second win in the Down Royal showpiece, which boasts a winner's prize of €73,750.

Gordon Elliott is responsible a

Road To Riches, a dual-winner of the race (2018 and 2019) is also on course to start his campaign.

Significantly, Envoi Allen, whose untarnished record ended with a fall in Cheltenham before being pulled-up at the Punchestown Festival, is entered for the Grade 2 Join Racing TV Chase, chief supporting race on Saturday's card.