Envoi Allen could not have been more impressive as he extended his unbeaten record to ten track successes following his opening Ballinaboola four-year-old maiden success when recording a facile success in the Grade 1 Drinmore Novices’ Chase.
A comfortable winner of his rules chasing debut at Down Royal on his seasonal re-appearance, the dual Cheltenham Festival hero did not put a foot wrong under Jack Kennedy with a faultless round of jumping from the front.
Although fellow point-to-point graduate Assemble loomed as the only danger round the home bend, once safely negotiating the penultimate fence in the home straight, an obstacle which had been the downfall of Samcro a year earlier for the same connections, the six-year-old immediately responded to his rider’s demand to increase the tempo swiftly putting the race to bed.
In the end, Envoi Allen crossed the line with eight and a half lengths to spare without ever having to fully extend.
A fifth Grade 1 success for the gelding, it completed a top-level double for owners Cheveley Park Stud and Gordon Elliott with pointing graduates following the earlier victory of Ballyadam.
“A clear round number one is all that you want. Jack said that he was foot perfect the whole way. He actually said that the second last was tricky for us last year (Samcro fell) so he just wanted to let the field get up around him and once he gave him a squeeze at the back of the second last it was all over,” said Gordon Elliott.
“The one thing he did say was that he had a good blow, there is plenty more improvement to come from him, he hasn’t been killed coming here as Cheltenham is the plan but there is a lot of improvement to come.
“There wasn’t going to be a lot of pace so Jack wanted to just keep it simple but when he gets into a proper race that is when you will see the real horse.
“We might miss Christmas as we are thinking about a Grade 2 race at Punchestown in January and then going for the Marsh at Cheltenham.
“He has the pace for two miles, but we are going to keep him in his division. I don’t think three miles or two will be a problem for him, he won the Royal Bond here last year, but that is the plan.
%uD83D%uDC0EEnvoi Allen preserves his unbeaten record in confident style after taking the Grade 1 https://t.co/mNfzVJisTp Drinmore Novice Chase for @gelliott_racing %uD83D%uDC4F@BarOneRacing pic.twitter.com/3c4YqI0FOM
— FairyhouseRacecourse (@Fairyhouse) November 29, 2020
