It’s the biggest National Hunt race of the season in Ireland so far this season at Down Royal on Saturday afternoon, as the Grade 1 Ladbrokes Champion Chase takes centre stage at 2:40pm. A leading trial for the Cheltenham Gold Cup, the 2024 renewal will see a field of five head to the 3m start and last year’s winner Gerri Colombe will be looking to retain his crown. Our tipster Steve Chambers previews the race and picks out his 1-2-3.
GERRI COLOMBE
(Sam Ewing/Gordon Elliott)
Gordon Elliott’s GERRI COLOMBE needed every inch of the three miles in last season’s contest and likely to be sent off a red-hot hot odds-on favourite for the 2024 renewal the eight-year-old is the one to beat. He will be making his seasonal reappearance once again in this race and at his best he should comfortably dispatch of his four rivals. The Elliott team are sure to have their sights set on bigger things later in the campaign, but this is an ideal starting point and if he produces anywhere near his best then he’s the one to beat.
ENVOI ALLEN
(Darragh O’Keeffe/Henry De Bromhead)
A multiple Cheltenham Festival winner, ENVOI ALLEN has been one of the shining beacons of the Irish National Hunt sphere over the last half decade, and still at ten years old he’s looking to taste more success at the highest level. A winner of this race in 2022, he was then touched off by Gerri Colombe last year and showed when second in the Ryanair Chase that he’s still a force to be reckoned with. He may not be top, top class these days, but this could be his chance to do over Gerri Colombe and he’s a leading challenger for Henry De Bromhead.
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Tue 29 Oct 2024HEWICK
(Jordan Gainford/Shark Hanlon)
Last seen being beaten by French Dynamite and Minella Indo in a Punchestown Grade 3 contest a few weeks ago, HEWICK is making a quick reappearance and Shark Hanlon’s charge is a fascinating contender. With one eye certainly on the King George VI Chase at Kempton Park on Boxing Day – a race he won last season – Hewick does come into this event with race fitness on his side. However, he lacks the class of the top two in the betting and he may just find things happen a little too quickly for him here.
THE FIELD
There are only two other contenders taking their chance here and DELTA WORK will be another lining up for the Gordon Elliott team. A fine runner-up in the Grand National at Aintree back in April, Delta Work is now 11 years old and having finished fourth in this race back in 2021 he’s one that is sure to be primed for another tilt at Aintree in the spring. Gavin Cromwell’s VISIONARIAN is the other with race fitness on his side and he put up a career best when winning a Grade 2 event at Gowran Park over 2m 4f, but this is another step up and the extra distance may stretch him.
VERDICT
The market certainly has it right with GERRI COLOMBE likely to be sent off a hot favourite and if he turns up in any sort of form then he can retain his crown. Envoi Allen is the second best horse in the race and providing he shows a decent display then he could well finish second, while Hewick can complete the 1-2-3 by staying on in the closing stages.
2024 Ladbrokes Champion Chase Predicted 1-2-3
- Gerri Colombe
- Envoi Allen
- Hewick
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