Envoi Allen set for Cheltenham Gold Cup swansong

Envoi Allen will head straight to the Cheltenham Gold Cup for what will be his likely swansong in the spring.

Henry de Bromhead’s 11-year-old rolled back the years for the 17th victory of his career in the Champion Chase at Down Royal last month and the decision has now been made to keep the three-time Festival winner fresh for one “last hurrah” in the blue riband at Prestbury Park.

“Envoi Allen is really good and we’ve agreed he will have his last hurrah in the Gold Cup and we’re really looking forward to that,” said De Bromhead.

“I think that was one of his best performances up at Down Royal. He’ll go straight there (to Cheltenham) and after Down Royal we said we would just keep him fresh. Like myself he’s getting older, so less is more for him nowadays.

“We’ll have him primed for Cheltenham and give it a go. The Thompsons are keen to give it a go, so are we and we’re excited about that.

“If he bolted up in that we might have to rethink it! But that’s where he’s going for what we think will be his last run.

“He’s unbelievable and how much he enjoys it all, you could go and loose school him in the indoor school and he’s like a three-year-old going round, he just loves the game.”

Envoi Allen could be joined at the Cheltenham Festival by stablemate Quilixios, who is also owned by Cheveley Park Stud and being teed up for another shot at the Champion Chase in the spring.

The former Triumph Hurdle winner was mixing it with Marine Nationale in the two-mile championship earlier this year before falling at the final fence and looks likely to make his seasonal return at the Dublin Racing Festival despite holding an entry for a similar Leopardstown event over the Christmas period.

De Bromhead added: “He’s had a little setback and he’s back flying again now, but sadly we won’t get him to Leopardstown at Christmas. He seems good, I just couldn’t get him there for this race.

“I would have had to rush him, so we will aim for the Dublin Racing Festival and then hopefully get him back to the Champion Chase.”