Romeo Coolio steps out of novice company for the first time in Saturday’s BetVictor, Remembering Envoi Allen Champion Chase at Down Royal. Gordon Elliott‘s three-time Grade 1-winning novice chaser is the 7/2 second favourite with William Hill for the 3.15pm, behind Henry de Bromhead’s Ryanair Chase winner Heart Wood at 3/1.
Here is everything you need to know about the seven-year-old before Saturday.
Romeo Coolio’s Grade 1 CV
Romeo Coolio has won seven of his 13 starts and has been a top-level performer in every discipline. The son of Kayf Tara was second in the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham at 18/1 in 2024, before winning the Grade 1 Future Champions Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown that Christmas. He then filled the places in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and the Top Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree, finishing third and second respectively.
Fences brought out the best in him last season. After an easy win in a beginners’ chase at Down Royal 12 months ago, he landed the Drinmore Novice Chase at Fairyhouse over two-and-a-half miles, the Racing Post Novice Chase at Leopardstown over Christmas and the Irish Arkle at the Dublin Racing Festival, all at odds-on. He did not always do it the easy way, idling after the last in the Arkle and having to be driven out to hold on, but he kept finding when it mattered.
Will he stay three miles?
There is one big blot on his copybook, and it came on his only start beyond two-and-a-half miles. Sent off the 9/4 favourite for the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham in March, he made headway in midfield before a bad mistake four out ended his race, and Jack Kennedy pulled him up soon afterwards.
That run leaves the three-mile trip on Saturday as the big unknown. In fairness, the mistake rather than a lack of stamina did for him that day, and he has already proved himself over two-and-a-half miles in winning the Drinmore. This will also be his first run since March, but he has a 100% record at Down Royal from two visits.
Elliott knows the way to Down Royal glory
Few trainers know how to win this race like Elliott. He has won it five times, with Roi Du Mee in 2013, Don Cossack in 2015, Outlander in 2017, The Storyteller in 2020 and Gerri Colombe in 2023, and only Paul Nicholls can match that tally since 2006.
Gerri Colombe is the most encouraging precedent. He arrived at Down Royal three years ago having won three Grade 1 novice chases and finished a short-head second in the Brown Advisory, and made a winning reappearance at 4/7 under Kennedy, getting up in the final strides. Romeo Coolio follows a near-identical path. The race now carries the name of three-time winner Envoi Allen, and De Bromhead has won three of the last four runnings.
Can he strike first time up?
Seven runners go to post, and the main threat looks to be Heart Wood, who is also stepping back up to three miles after winning the Ryanair. Paul Townend rides Rebecca Curtis’s Haiti Couleurs at 4/1, Noel Meade’s Affordale Fury won last year’s Savills Chase, and Joseph O’Brien’s former King George winner Banbridge also takes his chance. Elliott has a second string in Croke Park, while Fleur In The Park arrives off a win in the Danoli Chase.
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