Envoi Allen to defend his crown in north Envoi Allen is set to make his seasonal reappearance in the BetVictor Champion Steeplechase in Down Royal at the start of November. The 11-year-old gelding is more than familiar with this Grade One contest having competed in the last three renewals of it with victories secured in 2022 and last year when he beat Hewick by half a length. Henry de Bromhead's 11-year-old gelding was last seen finishing third in the Ryanair at the Cheltenham Festival in March The trainer said: "Envoi is going to the north and he seems well. "We are all getting a bit older so we'll see, but I had him loose-schooling on Sunday morning and he seemed in great form. "We want to get him to Down Royal, hopefully get a good run there, and there is nothing set in stone after that." The Mutathir gelding has landed nine Grade One races across all National Hunt codes. Additional reporting by Tom Weekes
