THE honour of staging the first Grade 1 race of the National Hunt season in Ireland and Britain falls to Down Royal in a fortnight’s time. The JNWine.com Champion Chase was instituted in 1999 and was the brainchild of Jim Nicholson, who is chairman of the racecourse, and the course’s general manager Mike Todd.

As their baby heads to a coming of age in a few years from now, they can look proudly at how it has developed into a ‘must win’ contest. A look at the list of previous winners reveals that greats such as Kauto Star and Florida Pearl, Beef Or Salmon, The Listener, Looks Like Trouble and Don Cossack have all graced the winners’ enclosure.

The 20-strong entry this year includes nine horses with a rating of 160 or more and they have amassed 128 wins worth more than £4.7 million to date. Four entries from England include the 2015 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Coneygree, while a strong home team features a host of stars, with last year’s winner, the Henry de Bromhead-trained Valseur Lido, a possible to defend his crown. He will face a stiff task against the hugely exciting duo of 2017 Irish Grand National winner Our Duke (Jessica Harrington) and the dual Grade 1 winner Disko (Noel Meade).

Co Meath-based Meade also produced the 2017 Grade 1 Ryanair Gold Cup Novice Chase winner Road To Respect at Punchestown this week and the gelding impressed on his seasonal bow. This year’s Galway Plate winner Balko Des Flos is part of a strong de Bromhead hand for the race, while John Kiely’s great warrior Carlingford Lough can never be overlooked. No wonder that Todd describes the quality of entry as “phenomenal”.

Michael O’Leary’s Gigginstown House Stud is responsible for just over half of the feature race entries as he attempts to capture the Grade 1 centrepiece for an unprecedented fifth year running. For the last four years the winning rider in the Champion Chase has ended up as the leading rider at the two-day Festival of Racing, while the in-form Gordon Elliott has been the man to follow in recent years.

Willie Mullins has a great record at the Festival and won the Grade 3 EBF Lough Construction Ltd Mares’ Hurdle for the last three years, saddling the subsequent Grade 1 winner Airlie Beach in 2016. His main representative this year is expected to be Frank and Rose Boyd’s Mystic Theatre and she could face the Elliott-trained Fayonagh in what would be a mouth-watering clash on the Friday.

Prize money on Saturday tops €300,000 for the first time thanks to the Grade B Billecart-Salmon Handicap Hurdle going to €50,000 in value. The Grade 2 WKD Hurdle on Friday and the Grade 2 MyCarNeedsA.com Chase on Saturday also carry a similar prize fund.

“I am very grateful for the huge support from Horse Racing Ireland and the sponsors, which allows us to have a minimum value of €15,000, and such a valuable pot”.

Mike Todd reports that advance ticket sales and hospitality bookings are flying and he is keen to stress that early booking is strongly advised. Hospitality packages start at £60 and ensure that patrons can avail of splendid facilities and award-winning food. The Victoria Square Best Dressed Lady Competition on Saturday is a celebration of true racing style with the winner jetting off to Rio de Janeiro for 10 days in a 4* hotel on Copacabana Beach.

“This year’s Festival of Racing is the jewel in the racing calendar in Northern Ireland and we’re excited to start the National Hunt season here at Down Royal Racecourse.

“The Festival is a fantastic day or two out for punters with a range of options to come along and take part in the spectacle of racing”, said Todd.