News & Media

Jumps racing is back and Down Royal hosts its annual Festival of Racing over the first weekend of November, including the opening Grade 1 of 2024/25.

The 25th running of the Ladbrokes Champion Chase headlines the two-day meeting and there is plenty more to look forward to on November 1 and 2.

When are the big races?

The Festival Feature, the Ladbrokes Champion Chase, goes to post at 2.40pm on November 2 and is run over three miles.

Some of the biggest names in National Hunt racing have claimed the honours since its inception in 1999, including Beef Or Salmon (2004 & 2006), Kauto Star (2008 & 2010) and Road To Respect (2018 & 2019).

Paul Nicholls, trainer of Kauto Star, most recently earned success with Frodon in 2021, his fifth win in this race – putting him level at the top of the all-time list alongside Gordon Elliott.

Don Cossack, a Cheltenham Gold Cup winner for Elliott in 2016, won this Down Royal feature the previous year while Gerri Colombe provided the master of Cullentra with his fifth Ladbrokes Champion Chase victory 12 months ago.

Friday’s highlight is the Grade 3 Bottlegreen Hurdle, which has also been won by some storied names.

Among them is Macs Joy, who landed the honours under Barry Geraghty for Jessica Harrington in 2004 and went on to win the Irish Champion Hurdle and Punchestown Champion Hurdle in an illustrious career.

Harrington also won the race in 2013 with Jezki, who had AP McCoy on board and went on to win Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham the following year.

Elliott has teamed up with Jack Kennedy to great effect in recent years, with the trainer/jockey combination landing each of the last three renewals with Zanahiyr, Pied Piper and Irish Point.

Who is in the running this year?

Last year’s winner Gerri Colombe, who went on to finish second in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, currently heads the betting as he bids to become the first back-to-back winner of this race since Road To Respect.

Envoi Allen was runner-up in the 2023 renewal under Rachael Blackmore and will bid to go one better for Henry de Bromhead, while Conflated and Delta Work are also currently entered for Elliott along with stablemates Found A Fifty, American Mike and Zanahiyr.

John McConnell’s Mahler Mission and Gavin Cromwell’s Visionarian complete the currently entered field of nine.

What are the trainers saying?

Gordon Elliott on Gerri Colombe: “Gerri Colombe is at a similar stage to last year. He’s in good nick and ready to start, but there will be plenty of improvement in him.

“He’s a very unassuming horse who doesn’t show much at home, but they’re the ones that you want.

“He was only beaten a couple of lengths in the Gold Cup last season. The best horse won on the day, so there was no excuse, but I do think we could have been a bit closer, as the loose horse didn’t help us coming down the hill.

“If he improves a bit from last season to this season, you never know – we are in the mix.”

John McConnell on Mahler Mission: “He’s not out of place in it. It will be a six or seven-runner race and there is plenty of prize money so he might go there.

“It’s two weeks before a Grade 1 hurdle in France that we are aiming him at, so whether it’s too close I don’t know, but I’d love to have a go at it.”

What else is on?

Saturday is Ladies Day, with prizes on offer for Down Royal’s famous ‘Best Dressed Lady’ competition.

A Ladies Day at Down Royal provides an opportunity to get dressed up for one of the best days of the year, adding an extra level of colour, glamour and excitement to an already prestigious Festival.

Where can I buy tickets?

Tickets are available on the HRI website – click here.