Multiple Grade One winner Envoi Allen is reported fit and well ahead of kicking off his campaign in the PWC Champion Chase at Gowran Park on Saturday.
Henry de Bromhead’s nine-year-old can boast a trio of Cheltenham Festival victories among an overall tally of 15 strikes from 22 outings under rules.
He landed the 2019 Champion Bumper, the 2020 Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle and last season’s Ryanair Chase, when powering up the hill to deny Shishkin under Rachael Blackmore.
“He’s in good form, he’s been working well, he’s schooling well, so we’ll get him started and see,” De Bromhead told Racing TV.
“It’s a competitive race, he’s got his penalty but he’s in good form and we’ve got to start somewhere and this seems an ideal place to start.”
Blackmore will again be in the saddle but Envoi Allen must give away 4lb to the Willie Mullins-trained Easy Game, who will be seeking a third success in this Grade Two race.
He beat The Storyteller by seven lengths in 2020 and got the better of stablemate Kemboy 12 months ago.