Meade thrilled with Affordale Fury's Gowran run Noel Meade is weighing up a number of options for Affordale Fury following a pleasing return to action when second in the PWC Champion Chase at Gowran last Saturday. The lightly-raced gelding has won three of his ten starts and has filled the runner-up spot four times notably when narrowly denied in the 2023 Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle. The seven-year-old was returning after an eight-month break when beating all bar Western Fold in the Grade 2 at Gowran last weekend and Meade is hopeful he can build on that performance in the coming months. “We were thrilled with him at Gowran. He had to have another run before he could run in the Troytown or other big handicap chases,” said the Castletown trainer. "We were very pleased with how he ran, and we weren't pleased that he went up 4lb. He's in no man's land now as he is probably 8lb or 9lb short to run in the big race in the north (Ladbrokes Champion Chase at Down Royal). "I'm not sure where we'll go, maybe the Troytown. He's top weight in the Munster National (at Limerick), maybe Newbury. Hopefully, we get a clear run. “Last year, we thought he was an Irish National horse, and we didn't get there." Additional reporting by Michael Graham
