Sir Allen gets off the mark over fences The Andy Slattery-trained Sir Allen (18/1) was a deserved winner of the SIS Supporting Irish Racing Beginners Chase for rider Philip Donovan, who replaced the injured Cian Quirke. The seven-year-old had some good form as a juvenile hurdler but became slightly frustrating, performing well without winning. The Willie Mullins-trained Bon Viveur led throughout the contest and looked to still have more in the tank when coming down in the straight, which left it to Sir Allen, who kept the odds-on favourite Arcadian Emperor (4/6) at bay to win by four and a quarter lengths. Speaking after the race, trainer Andy Slattery said: "He was a very good juvenile hurdler who also won a few Flat races, but was going through the motions recently, so we started schooling him over fences, which seemed to ignite him. "He'll keep going over fences and will go on softer ground as well. We'll look for a rated novice chase now. "It was a nice winning spare for Phily, who rides out for me." (Quotes from Tom Weekes)
