From boredom to brilliance: popular Envoi Allen has Cheveley Park feeling great

Connections of Cheveley Park are delighted to see Envoi Allen become as popular as Flat stars Enable and Stradivarius, as they reflect on their rapid rise to one of the most powerful owners in the jumping game.

The leading stud's interest in the other code reportedly started because part-owner David Thompson was bored through the winter months, but that soon changed with four Cheltenham Festival winners and nine Graded winners since investing in jump horses.

The Wednesday of this year's Cheltenham Festival will go down as one of the best days in the 45-year history of Cheveley Park Stud. The brilliant Envoi Allen extended his unbeaten run, under rules, to eight in the Ballymore Novices' Hurdle while Ferny Hollow caused a surprise in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper.

Cheveley Park Stud jumpers in numbers

Runners 108
Winners 33
Strike-rate 30 per cent
Grade 1 winners 6
Highest RPR A Plus Tard, 171, third in 2020 Ryanair Chase

Britain and Ireland

Envoi Allen is now one of jump racing's brightest prospects and is ante-post favourite for next year's RSA and Marsh Novices' Chase. He is a general 10-1 chance for the Champion Hurdle if connections decide against going chasing.

Cheveley Park's managing director Chris Richardson told Weatherbys: “Envoi Allen is quite an intelligent horse and he only does enough. He looks after himself and keeps impressing. On the other hand, Ferny Hollow has had to be cajoled somewhat but he's mentally much sharper now and he’s only five so there’s still plenty to come.

“On the Flat we dream of having an Enable or a Stradivarius, and people are talking of Envoi Allen in the same sort of terms. He has already acquired a huge following, and he’s only six, so there should be lots to look forward to. Ferny Hollow might be of similar calibre."

He added of Ferny Hollow, whose Cheltenham win was rated 6lb higher than Envoi Allen's in 2019: "Ferny Hollow was very impressive in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper, given a great ride by Paul Townend.

Ferny Hollow: impressive winner at the Cheltenham FestivalCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

"We knew he was one of those horses who just wanted be dropped out, switched off and kidded along, and he couldn’t have won more impressively in the circumstances. He’s a beautiful horse and Willie [Mullins] has always rated him very highly."

Cheveley Park are also represented by top chasers A Plus Tard and Allaho, and reflected on their remarkably quick success since their first jumps winner in August 2018.

Richardson added: “David Thompson has always enjoyed racing under both codes, but while he is mentally as sharp as a tack he is now of an age where he finds it difficult to get around and so he is very happy watching from home on the television.

“I think he was getting a bit bored. He took the view that this would be another angle for him to enjoy in the winter months, and that if they carried the stud’s colours they would be easier for him to pick out.

“We have to pinch ourselves at having two horses [Envoi Allen and Ferny Hollow] of that calibre, not to mention A Plus Tard, Allaho and the others. Owners dream of just having a runner at Cheltenham, so for a relatively small jumps operation like ours – we are not like JP or Gigginstown – to have two winners, two years running, has been very exciting."

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