Gold Cup hope Delta Work set for Down Royal Champion Chase with Kemboy sidelined

Gordon Elliott is ready to unleash his leading Gold Cup hope Delta Work in the Ladbrokes Champion Chase at Down Royal on Saturday but festival rival Kemboy will not be there to face him.

Delta Work, who was third in the RSA, is one of seven Gigginstown runners in the field and was made 7-4 favourite by the sponsors.

The six-year-old is a general 12-1 chance for the Gold Cup and was last seen landing the Grade 1 Dooley Insurance Group Champion Novice Chase at the Punchestown festival in April.

“We’re hoping Delta Work will be a Gold Cup horse this season. He’s been schooling well and is ready to start off. He won over the course on his chasing debut last season and he's in good form," said Elliott, who will be bidding for a fourth win in the race.

“Alpha Des Obeaux is also an intended runner and we’ll decide later in the week if Shattered Love and Mengli Khan will run.”

Last year's winner Road To Respect, Balko Des Flos and Tout Est Permis are the other possibles for the Gigginstown team.

Kemboy, a general 6-1 favourite for the Gold Cup, had been earmarked to begin his campaign at Down Royal and was among the original entries for trainer Willie Mullins.

However, the Supreme Horse Racing Club, in whose colours the seven-year-old runs, has been banned from making entries or declarations by Horse Racing Ireland due to an ownership dispute.

Paul Nicholls, who has trained four winners of the event, most recently Kauto Stone in 2012, has left in last year’s King George VI Chase winner Clan Des Obeaux, who makes his first start since finishing second to Kemboy at Aintree.

Clan Des Obeaux: the sole British runner in the fieldCredit: Edward Whitaker

Two of Elliott's Cheltenham Festival winners, 2018 Ballymore Novices' Hurdle winner Samcro and unbeaten Champion Bumper winner Envoi Allen, will be in action at the two-day Down Royal meeting.

Samcro will make his debut over fences in the 2m4f beginners chase on Friday, and Elliott said: "Last season just didn’t work out for him but his schooling has gone well. He’s had a wind operation and we’re looking forward to getting him started over fences."

Envoi Allen could run in the 2m6f maiden hurdle on Friday but Elliott confirmed he is more likely to run in the 2m maiden on Saturday.

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