Envoi Allen saunters to victory and sets sights on Cheltenham
Envoi Allen continued his unbeaten march to his third Cheltenham Festival as he posted his 11th successive rules victory in the Sky Bet Killiney Novice Chase at Punchestown.
On a weekend bereft of Grade One action either side of the Irish Sea, Gordon Elliott's superstar took his cue to confirm his blockbuster Festival credentials after nearest market rival Asterion Forlonge left the way clear by falling at the first fence.
Envoi Allen then coasted to a three-and-a-half length victory as the 1-2 favourite, comfortably accounting for nearest pursuer Fils D'oudairies despite having to concede 11lb all round thanks to his toplevel penalty in Grade Three company.
His latest success was the highlight of a weekend which 24 hours earlier had featured a contrastingly hard-fought victory for another Cheltenham aspirant, Paul Nicholls' Next Destination, in Warwick's Mccoy Contractors Civils And Infrastructure Hampton Novices' Chase.
While Next Destination will be targeting distances of three miles or further, Elliott has long had the two-and-a-halfmile Marsh Novices' Chase as his principal Festival aim this year.
After his latest emphatic win under Jack Kennedy, he remains a short-priced antepost favourite to prevail again in March.
His biggest dangers at Punchestown turned out to be
loose horses, after Sempo was hampered by Asterion Forlonge and also lost his jockey at the first.
Elliott said: "It's a bit of an anti-climax when the other horse went at the first. Jack (Kennedy) said he went around in second gear, with his ears pricked.
"When he asked him to quicken going to the last, he did. He got a bit under the last and quickened again.
"He didn't mind the ground,
and he didn't do anything wrong. I think he'd be better with a lead because he's idle, but he had to do his own donkey work."
Elliott confirmed the likelihood is that Envoi Allen will head to Cheltenham without another run beforehand.
Next Destination had to work considerably harder for his Warwick win, coming under pressure from Harry Cobden in the back straight before eventually justifying
his status as 10-11 favourite by a length and a half from Fiddlerontheroof in the threerunner Grade Two.
"He is a bit older and is getting slightly lazier," said Cobden.
"I don't mind pushing them for a bit if they keep finding and to be honest, he plugged on really well."
The well-backed 7-2 favourite Adrimel also took Grade Two honours on the same card, leading almost through
out under Richard Johnson in the Ballymore Leamington Novices' Hurdle.
Trainer Tom Lacey, who was gaining his first success at that level, said: "It was wonderful.
"If he had jumped the last he would have won with a bit more up his sleeve. He hasn't done much wrong, so I'm not going to grumble."
Cheltenham assignments may beckon next, in the Ballymore or Albert Bartlett novice hurdles.