Lord Sam heads for Ellier Developments Novice Chase

The brilliant unbeaten novice chaser Lord Sam, who has not raced since January, is set to contest the €42,500 Grade 3 Ellier Developments Novice Chase, the second race of the Irish National Hunt Festival at Punchestown on Tuesday.

Victor Dartnall´s stable star won both his starts in bumpers and has only met defeat once when third to Hardy Eustace in last season´s Royal & SunAlliance Novices´ Hurdle at Cheltenham.

But he was withdrawn from the Royal & SunAlliance Chase at Cheltenham in March at the 11th hour with a temperature and Dartnall is pleased the exciting eight-year-old is on the comeback trail.

'All being well he will head to Punchestown for the novice chase on Tuesday and I am hoping Jim Culloty will ride,' said Dartnall.

'I´m just waiting for a final blood result, but his trachea wash was perfect, he seems well and is working well so I don´t anticipate any problems.

'He missed Cheltenham because had an infection, ran a temperature and wasn´t well for ten days and his blood went absolutely haywire but he seems very well now so fingers crossed for Punchestown.'

After winning a Huntingdon novice chase by 19 lengths on his debut over fences in November, Lord Sam went on to beat subsequent Cheltenham winner Native Emperor in a Grade 2 novice chase at Lingfield in December before defeating Fork Lightning, winner of the William Hill National Hunt Handicap Chase at Cheltenham, a month later at Kempton.

The four-day Irish National Hunt Festival features record prize money of over € 1.7 million and takes place from Tuesday, April 27, to Friday, April 30.