The first Grade 1 of the new National Hunt season, the BetVictor, Remembering Envoi Allen Champion Chase will be staged this Saturday, October 31st, over three miles at Down Royal.

The title carries the name of the great horse, trained by Henry de Bromhead for Cheveley Park Stud, who won the race for the third time last year aged 11.

At the forfeit stage on Tuesday, seven horses remained in contention with six of those Grade 1 winners.

Highest rated of the field is Affordale Fury, last year’s runner-up. Best known for his success in the Grade 1 Savills Chase at Leopardstown last Christmas, he has not been seen out since pulling up in the Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup in February. His trainer Noel Meade is just one winner away from 3,000 career victories.

The race’s most successful trainer with five wins, Gordon Elliott has left in two potential runners headed by Romeo Coolio who is bidding for a hat-trick of wins at the BetVictor Festival of Racing. After his beginners’ chase triumph here last year, he went on to land three Grade 1s in quick succession.

Elliott may also field Croke Park, a Grade 1 winner owned by Gigginstown House Stud.

Haiti Couleurs is the sole British-trained runner in the line-up. His last visit to these shores yielded a famous victory in the Boyle Sports Irish Grand National in April of last year. The last British-based horse to win this race was Frodon for Paul Nicholls in 2021.

Fleur In The Park became trainer Andy Slattery’s first Grade 1 winner last season when he won the WillowWarm Gold Cup at Fairyhouse and he returned successfully in the Grade 2 PWC Danoli Chase at the start of the month at Gowran Park.

Trainer Joseph O’Brien will be in Kentucky at the Breeders’ Cup before heading to Australia for the Melbourne Cup, but his star chaser Banbridge will seek to add another major title with three Grade 1 wins on his CV already, most memorably the King George VI Chase at Kempton in 2024. The 10-year-old tuned up for this test with a win in a Flat maiden early in September.

Henry de Bromhead has won this race on four occasions, three with Envoi Allen and also via Valseur Lido in 2016. The trainer will rely on his Grade 1 Ryanair Chase hero Heart Wood to maintain his fine strike-rate.

Click here to view the entries for the Grade 1 BetVictor, Remembering Envoi Allen Champion Chase.