PAT HEALY: In his blog this week, Brand Ambassador and racecourse photographer Pat Healy heaps praise on Envoi Allen ahead go his debut over fences, and picks out a horse for you to take note of from his trip to Tattersalls Farm.

Down Royal

I’m looking forward to Down Royal’s meeting on Friday and Saturday which to my mind marks the proper start of the National Hunt season. As has become the norm, Gordon Elliott looks set to unleash a number of his big guns with the likes of Envoi Allen, Samcro and Presenting Percy all looking likely to run. “Percy” of course is a horse we will all have eyes on for this season after a switch in stables from Pat Kelly to Elliott’s.

Gordon has earmarked the meeting for a while now as the place he likes to start off his better horses and I’m not surprised as Down Royal is a fantastic track. It has a near 2 mile circuit and the ground is always great there hence the reason they can race in December and June. The feature is obviously the Grade 1 Champion Chase on the Saturday and you just have to look at the line-up this year to see the calibre of horse required to win the race.

Envoi Allen

Envoi Allen will be the star attraction on Friday as he makes his debut over fences and based on what we’ve seen of him so far, he looks a real star in the making. He was brought to be a Gold Cup horse and everything suggests he could be, but he’s still got to go out there and prove it over the bigger obstacles. I’d imagine Gordon will give him three runs before Cheltenham in March and if he’s still unbeaten by then, people might really start thinking he’s the real deal. I suppose if you had to pick a horse to own for the new Jumps season, he’d be the one that most people would pick.

Al Boum Photo

I thought it was interesting to read what Patrick Mullins had to say about reigning Gold Cup winner Al Boum Photo. They are going to stick to the tried and tested method of starting his campaign at Tramore on New Year’s Day, before perhaps taking him for a racecourse gallop and then on to Cheltenham. It will be fascinating to watch his progress and it would be an unbelievable achievement if he could win a third Gold Cup in a row. I don’t see any reason why he can’t as things stand and I reckon it will take a pretty good one to knock him off his perch.

One to note from my trip to Tattersalls Farm

I went to the Tattersalls Farm Point-to-Point over the weekend and I had a great day. As is always the case you’re looking for future stars and there was definitely one to note in the shape of the four-year-old trained by Gordon called Ginto by stallion Walk In The Park. He was very impressive, won with his head in his chest and never came off the bridle for jockey Jamie Codd, so he’s one to look out for. Of all the four-year-old’s I’ve seen so far, he’d be the one that you’d think might go quite far in the Jumping game. He’s a fine big specimen of a horse and he looks very much in the mould of an Envoi Allen, so definitely keep an eye out for him.

Jim Bolger/Kevin Manning

What a fantastic weekend it was for Jim Bolger and Kevin Manning after Mac Swiney’s win in the Group 1 Vertem Futurity Trophy at Doncaster. The horse was named after Terence MacSwiney who died on hunger strike in London’s Brixton Prison and it was the centenary of his death the day after Bolger’s horse won. It’s a story you really couldn’t make up and I was delighted for Jim because he’s been a fantastic trainer for a number of years.

Jim is 78 but he showed on Saturday that when he has the tools, he gets the job done and likewise Kevin Manning who is 53 now. He gave the horse a fantastic ride and it showed what fantastic shape he’s in despite his advancing age. All the jockeys say Kevin is the nicest man in the weighing room and he’s always open to giving a helping hand to the younger ones. I wouldn’t expect anything else from him and I don’t see why he can’t go on riding for another two or three years, especially if he gets to ride horses like Mac Swiney.