WILL ALL IN FOR A DOUBLE

Star to check in another Hotel win

BY

IT’S impossible to oppose dual Grade 1 winner Allaho in his bid for back-to-back wins in the Grade 2 Horse & Jockey Hotel Chase in Thurles tomorrow.

Last year, the Cheveley Park Stud-owned No Risk At All gelding (above) outpointed stable-companion Elimay in this race before heading to Cheltenham where he made his Grade 1 breakthrough with a power-packed display in the Ryanair. And Willie

Mullins is, presumably, following a similar path with him again.

Allaho blitzed the opposition in the Ryanair last year, forcing the pace, jumping well and keeping up the gallop to slam compatriot Fakir D’oudairies by 12 lengths.

He then tackled stable-companion and specialist two-miler Chacun Pour Soi over the minimum trip in the William Hill Champion Chase at Punchestown and came off second best, beaten five and a half lengths, the pair finishing 19 lengths clear of Nube Negra.

Allaho returned to Punchestown for his seasonal debut last month and, with Patrick Mullins on board, he produced a workmanlike, front-running display, being left in command when stable-companion Asterion Forlonge exited three from home and stayed on dourly to beat another Closutton inmate, Janidil, by two lengths in the Grade 1 John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase.

In the context of today’s race, chief rival Fakir D’oudairies, beaten 12 lengths in the Ryanair, finished eight lengths fourth to Allaho in the Durkan and, on similar terms, should come off second best again.

The field is completed by a couple of Gigginstown-owned contenders. Notebook, a dual Grade 1-winning novice, was unconvincing last season but won the Fortria at Navan on his comeback run and, last time, dropped away tamely to finish a distant fifth behind Energumene in the Hilly Way in Cork.

And Battleoverdoyen, outpointed by Envoi Allen in a Grade 1 at Leopardstown last time, looks the weak-link in the four-runner affair.