A PLUS TARD looks set to defend his title in the Grade 1 Savills Chase at Leopardstown on Tuesday, returning to the course and distance he first emerged as a top-class staying chaser 12 months ago.

Since that last-gasp win under a power-packed drive from Darragh O’Keeffe, the Cheveley Park Stud-owned chaser has finished an honorable second to stablemate Minella Indo before destroying a Betfair Chase field on his first start of this campaign. In truth, the former piece of form is worth significantly more than the latter, given the way the Betfair Chase rather fell apart in behind, but that show of health was still enough to prompt most bookmakers to make A Plus Tard favourite to go one better in the Gold Cup in March.

He’s odds-on favourite to make it back-to-back wins here but his rivals deserve respect, not least the up-and-coming Galvin, and the two previous winners of this race prior to last year - Kemboy and Delta Work.

Galvin showed he can mix it in open Grade 1 company when just touched off by Frodon in the Ladbrokes Champion Chase at Down Royal. He remains open to further improvement but did have fitness on his side that day, which you can’t say for his stablemate Delta Work, a horse who often needs his first run badly.

With that in mind, the Gigginstown House Stud chaser’s effort to finish fourth in the north reads well and he returns to his favourite track now, where he is a three-time Grade 1 winner over the distance. Current odds of 10/1 look generous from an each-way perspective.

Second season

The last four winners of this race have been second-season chasers and Janidil fits that bill also. For many he was the horse to take out of the John Durkan Chase, in which he finished second to Allaho, and he gets his shot at a three-mile Grade 1 now.

The Dornan Engineering Christmas Hurdle also has a defending champion returning in Flooring Porter, who himself emerged as a proper Grade 1-horse in the three-mile contest last season.

It wasn’t ideal that Gavin Cromwell’s six-year-old came down at the second last on his comeback run in the Lismullen Hurdle but he was about to run very well over possibly an inadequate trip.

Bookmakers are yet to price this race up but he ought to be close to favourite to defend his title, however not nearly as short as A Plus Tard, especially with the impressive Punchestown scorer Klassical Dream a potential rival alongside Abracadabras and Saldier, Grade 1 winners over shorter trips but now potentially dangerous on their first try at three miles.

Others to consider are the ever-consistent Sire Du Berlais and Commander Of Fleet, a Grade 1 winner over two miles and six furlongs at this track as a novice, and who bounced right back to form with a top-weight win in the Bective Stud Handicap Hurdle - the same race Flooring Porter took en route to winning this contest last season.

Interestingly, A Great View was second to Commander Of Fleet in that Navan contest, and looks likely to come back now and have another go at the Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle, a race he finished a short-head second to Mine Now four years ago.

That contest will have no shortage of fancied horses and one in particular who could attract attention is Dermot Weld’s Connacht Hotel Handicap winner Coltor, rated 90 on the level and so potentially well treated off a mark of 127 over hurdles.