Apache to return at Down Royal The Noel Meade trained Apache Stronghold is likely to make his return to action at Down Royal later this month. The seven-year-old enjoyed a fine novice chase campaign, winning a Grade One at Leopardstown and finishing second in the JLT Novices' Chase at the Cheltenham Festival. "He's in good shape and I'm very happy with him," Meade told At The Races. "We'll probably start him back in the second-season chase at Down Royal at the end of the month, but we'll probably give him an entry in the JNWine.com Champion Chase as well just to see how it's looking. "I don't know for sure whether he gets three miles or not, but we were having our doubts about it at different stages last season. "He's going to have to campaign at the highest level and find some improvement to be competitive either way. "A race like the John Durkan at Punchestown could well be a good, early-season target for him."
