While Willie Mullins has put an Irish Grand National winner and a Cheltenham Festival winner in the race, Gordon Elliott leads the way with a bumper entry for the €100,000 Bar One Racing Troytown Handicap Chase at Navan next weekend.
The historic race is the highlight on the second day of the new two-day Navan Racing Festival on Sunday, November 19 and Elliott has gone all out for a sixth win with an entry of 18 which includes Hollow Games, an impressive beginners’ chase winner at the course 12 months ago and third in this year’s Galway Plate.
Also featuring in the Cullentra entry are the recent Munster National winner and Irish Grand National runner-up Gevrey, Irish Grand National third Defi Bleu, last year’s Grade 2 Ten Up Novice Chase winner Farouk D’Alene, Run Wild Fred, winner of this race in 2021, and the recent Mayo National winner Tullybeg. Punitive, successful in the Bar One Racing Porterstown Handicap Chase at Fairyhouse last December and last year’s baroneracing.com Leinster National winner Diol Ker, then trained by Noel Meade, are also among the Elliott contingent.
Willie Mullins has an entry of four headed by Irish Grand National winner I Am Maximus and Cheltenham Festival’s National Hunt Chase winner and Aintree Grand National third Gaillard Du Mesnil. Bronn, famous for crediting the champion trainer with his 4,000th winner at the beginning of the year, and Mr Incredible complete the Mullins quartet.
Among the five entries made by Henry de Bromhead are Munster National runner-up Largy Debut and promising novice Watch House Cross while former Boyne Hurdle winner and a Grade 3 winner over fences at Limerick Thedevilscoachman heads Noel Meade’s entry of three.
Another local trainer, Gavin Cromwell, has made three entries of his own and they include the Cheltenham Festival runner-up Stumptown and the improving mare Limerick Lace with Scottish Grand National third Flash De Touzaine, Foxy Jacks and Macs Charm possible runners for Liz Doyle, Mouse Morris and Colm Murphy respectively.
Barney O’Hare, Bar One Racing CEO, said: “The Bar One Racing Troytown is traditionally one of the most fiercely contested handicaps of the season. It’s pleasing to see the race strongly supported by Ireland’s leading stables. Handicaps like the Troytown attract a nice blend of lesser exposed and more experienced handicappers, and that makes them a puzzle that racing fans love to try and solve. The Troytown always attracts strong turnover – it’s the centrepiece of should be a fantastic weekend of racing at Navan. We’re delighted to attach the Bar One Racing brand to a National Hunt festival of this type.”
Aidan McGarry, Navan Racecourse manager, commented: “The tremendous backing that we have received has allowed us to bring two great racing days together on the same weekend to run the inaugural Navan Racing Festival. Bar One Racing’s Barney O’Hare is the fixture’s biggest supporter and I’m delighted for him that the early entries for the Troytown Chase are so strong.
“The weekend brings together many of our feature races of the season including the Bar One Racing Fortria Chase (Grade 2), The Railway Bar Lismullen Hurdle (Grade 2), the John Lynch Carpets And Flooring Monksfield Novice Hurdle (Grade 3) and the Bar One Racing For Auction Novice Hurdle (Grade 3) and we cannot wait to welcome racegoers to the track in just under two weeks’ time”.