Envoi Allen stands his ground for Naas Grade 1

Star point-to-pointer Envoi Allen will be out to extend his unbeaten record as he headlines the entries at the latest forfeit stage for the Grade 1 Lawlor’s Of Naas Novice Hurdle on Sunday.
 
Envoi Allen, who won the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham last season, remains unbeaten in his career and is the highest rated novice hurdler in Ireland at the moment. The five-year-old heads a list of eight entries for the first Grade 1 race of 2020.
 
Elliott, who won the race with fellow pointing graduate Battleoverdoyen last year, is looking forward to giving Envoi Allen a third start over hurdles.
 
The trainer said: “This race has been his target since the middle of December and we are very pleased with him. Everything has gone smoothly over the last few weeks and it’s nice to see that his form has been working out at various points over Christmas.”
 
Elliott continued: “It’s a new trip for him but he has always looked like a horse that would be comfortable going over that distance. It has been a great Christmas and I’m looking forward to starting off the year by running Envoi Allen in a race like this and fingers crossed it will be a nice start to the year.”
 
Davy Russell partnered Envoi Allen to victory in both his hurdling starts to date and is looking forward to renewing that association on Sunday.
 
“Envoi Allen is a big strong horse with a lot of ability. Gordon has done a fantastic job with the horse and everyone seems happy with him at home,” Russell commented.
 
“His form is rock solid and we are really happy with him. It’s a pleasure to be around him,” added the jockey.