With the 2025/26 National Hunt season now underway, the quality of the action moves up a notch on Saturday afternoon. Wetherby tops the English bill, with the Grade 2 Charlie Hall Chase and bet365 Hurdle taking centre stage at the Yorkshire track.
Those traditional early-season highlights feature prominently on the bumper 10-race TV menu. However, the pick of the jumping action from a class perspective comes from Down Royal. Saturday sees the Northern Irish track stage its one and only Grade 1 event of the season, as the BetVictor Champion Chase rolls onto the Lisburn turf.
Relatively new to the racing calendar, this 3mf Grade 1 affair made its debut in 1999. Despite its youth, the event already boasts a stellar roll of honour, including Florida Pearl, Looks Like Trouble, Beef Or Salmon, Kauto Star, and Don Cossack. With the final field confirmed, seven go to post in 2025, including one talented chaser bidding for a place in the record books.
Allen to Land the Hattrick?
Beef Or Salmon, Kauto Star, Road To Respect, and Envoi Allen have all won the Down Royal Champion Chase twice. More Than A Stroll, Beef Or Salmon, The Listener, Kauto Star, and Envoi Allen all came home in front at 10 years of age. No horse has claimed the prize on three occasions. The race has also never been won by a runner older than 10. If the current market leader claims top spot, both of those records will be broken in 2025.
Now 11 years of age, 2022 and 2024 winner Envoi Allen enjoys legendary status at the yard of Henry De Bromhead. He first struck at the highest level in the 2019 Champion Bumper. Since then, the Cheveley Park runner has added top-tier wins over both hurdles and fences, taking his Grade 1 haul to nine.
Age might be against the mount of Darragh O’Keeffe, but judged solely on his efforts in this race, he has every chance of reaching double figures in Grade 1 wins. 1¾l too good for Kemboy in 2022, he lost out by just a neck to Gerri Colombe in 2023, before reeling in Hewick to regain his crown in 2024.
Tower The Biggest Obstacle to Overcome?
JP McManus has yet to win this race or even have one of his horses finish in the first three, albeit from relatively few attempts. The leading owner has a solid chance to put that right with the James Joseph Mangan-trained Spillane’s Tower.
After ending his novice chase campaign with back-to-back Grade 1 wins at Fairyhouse and Punchestown, this son of Walk In The Park was expected to make a big splash in open company. As such, his zero from three record in 2024/25 was slightly disappointing. That said, he split Fact To File and Galopin Des Champs in the John Durkan Memorial Chase and finished second to Galopin Des Champs in the Punchestown Gold Cup. With youth on his side, the seven-year-old could prove the biggest threat to the market leader.
Elliott Saddles Three in Pursuit of Win Number Six
First successful with Roi Du Mee in 2013 and most recently with Gerri Colombe in 2023, Gordon Elliott has lifted this trophy on five occasions. That tally places him level with Paul Nicholls as the most successful trainer in the history of the race.
Elliott saddles three in 2025 as he bids to claim top spot for himself. A rating of 165 makes Found A Fifty the pick of the Elliott trio and the highest-rated runner in the field. His position in the betting likely reflects that his only previous 3m outing came in his point-to-point days. However, he has shown signs that he may stay 3m under rules and boasts a perfect two from two record at this track.
Elliott’s other two runners, Western Fold and Stellar Story, have a bit to find on ratings but shouldn’t lack stamina. Western Fold has won at Listed and Group 3 level over just short of this trip, while Stellar Story landed the 2024 Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle over 3m at the Cheltenham Festival.
Of the others, Affordale Fury represents three-time winner Noel Meade, while Flash Collonges is out of his depth on all known form. Can Envoi Allen defy Father Time to take his place in the record books, or will the younger legs deny him?