Down Royal racecourse, near Lisburn in Northern Ireland, host their most valuable event, the Gr1 Ladbrokes Champion Chase (16h32) on Saturday afternoon.
Five rivals contest the €88,500 first prize run over 3 miles on a predicted soft track.
Down Royal Racecourse (PIc – Racing TV)
The 10-year-old Kemboy may not be the force he once was, but he is race-fit after two runs this season, and this game front-runner will ensure a genuine pace.
Champion jock Paul Townend rides for his boss Willie Mullins, but on official ratings he has a lot on his plate having to find between 8 and 10lbs to compete with the Gordon Elliott duo.
There’s little to separate Gordon Elliott pair Galvin and Conflated on form and on ratings, but the former has had a recent winning outing this season and that could be the difference.
A progressive staying chaser, the eight-year-old by Gold Well was narrowly denied by Frodon last year and should go one better on Saturday.
Later on the card at 17h07, four go to the 2 and a half mile start for the Gr2 Eventsec Chase. All four are making their reappearance but the race looks a duel between the smart Fighter Allen from the Champion Mullins yard and Fury Road for the in-form Gordon Elliott stable. Fury Road is favoured to prevail having course experience.
Over the Irish Sea at Wincanton racecourse, the veteran 10-year-old Scented Royal (evens favourite) attempts to win the Gr2 Unibet Elite Hurdle (17h00) for a third time. Only three rivals contest the feature including fellow course and distance winner Knappers Hill.
This 6-year-old showed a touch of class when accounting for a subsequent winner at Chepstow last month. He gets a handy 6lbs from the Alan King trained favourite and is saddled by champion trainer Paul Nicholls who is currently on a 39% winning strike-rate. He is selected to spoil the party for the favourite.
