ENVOI ALLEN’S UP FOR DOWN ROYAL

ENVOI ALLEN may be in the twilight 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 third victory in the BetVictor Champion Chase at Down Royal today.

- BY RUAIRI MURPHY

ALL' TO PLAY FOR Envoi Allen heads back to Down Royal today

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

There have been one or two bumps in the road along the way, but Henry de Bromhead's charge has been near faultless in the first Grade One of the Irish jumps season in each of the past 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 since finishing third in the Ryanair Chase at Cheltenham in March and Cheveley Park Stud director Richard Thompson is excited to see him return to a happy hunting ground this weekend.