Envoi Allen among 26 entries for Naas Grade 1

Star novice Envoi Allen is among 26 entries for the Grade 1 Lawlor’s of Naas Novice Hurdle on January 5th.

The six-year-old remains unbeaten, with his sixth success since his Ballinaboola point-to-point success coming at Fairyhouse earlier this month when defeating stable companion Abracadabras to win the Royal Bond Novice Hurlde at Fairyhouse.

Holding a number of potential engagements over the Christmas period, trainer Gordon Elliott has yet to decide which of them he will take up.

"It's been a lucky race for us in the past and it's one we like to target with some of our best novice hurdlers. This season we seem to have a very nice crop of novice hurdlers and I'd hope that we will be well represented this time around,” Elliott said on Thursday.

"Obviously it's a busy time of year and plenty of horses have plenty of options over the Christmas period so we've got to sit down and decide where to go with various horses.
Envoi Allen is definitely in the mix for Naas as is Abacadabras and then we'll see what happens in the Grade 2 at Navan on Sunday where I'd expect to run a couple of promising types.

"After Envoi Allen won the Royal Bond I thought that the likely options for him were either Leopardstown or the Lawlors Hurdle at Naas and I'm looking forward to eventually stepping him up in distance.

“Whether that will be in the Lawlor's race or later in the season remains to be seen but the Naas race is one we like to target with some our of best novices and it's a race we will be looking forward to."

Andy Dufresne, Fury Road, Longhouse Poet and French Dynamite are among the other former Irish point-to-point graduates to feature among the initial entries for the two and a half-mile contest.