Envoi Allen horse is a 9-year-old French gelding who has won races in the UK and Ireland across chases, hurdles, national hunts and a point-to-point.
It currently boasts one of the more outstanding records in jump racing, when it comes to its win strike rate, with several Grade 1 successes as part of its nine major wins.
Envoi Allen is sired by Muhtahir (GB), and its dam was French mare Reaction, who in turn was sired by Saint Des Saints, also French.
Not only did it win on its debut in a point-to-point by 11 lengths, but it went on to win its first 11 races under rules.
As at early December 2023, it has a remarkable record of 15 wins from 24 races under rules and has picked up £824,009 in earnings for its connections.
Envoi Allen Horse Racing: Two Trainers, Blackmore now on board
Envoi Allen was originally trained by Gordon Elliott, who was responsible for those first 11 wins from 11 starts. But owners David and Patricia Thompson of Cheverly Park Stud, who had bought him in 2018, decided to leave Henry de Bromhead in charge of training it from March 2021 onwards.
Starting out with B O’Neill in the saddle in the winning point-to-point, with Davy Russell riding him second for the next four races, and Jack Kennedy for the four that followed. The great Rachael Blackmore then took over, riding him for 12 times and winning four of the races.
Despite his success to date, Envoi Allen isn’t always the greatest of jumpers, and mistakes have cost him further wins.
Unlike most other serial winners, Envoi Allen doesn’t necessarily have a tried and trusted strategy for either being a front-runner or kept at the rear, having won using both methods. He has, however, frequently shown both fighting spirit and a good turn of foot over the last couple of furlongs, often relying on those assets to win in close finishes.
How has Envoi Allen performed in the biggest races?
He didn’t get off to the best start on his debut at the Cheltenham Festival in 2021, pulling up in the Marsh Chase.
The following year at the Cheltenham Festival Envoi Allen secured an impressive third place in the Queen Mother Champion Chase as a 10/1 chance and the following year went on to win the Ryanair Chase as a 13/2 chance.
Its other major wins include the Ladbrokes Champions Chase at Down Royal and the Paddy’s Reward Club Chase at Leopardstown, both Grade 1 events, and both in 2022.
Envoi Allen’s Rivalries
Getting the better of Envoi Allen is easier said than done but the French horse Energumene managed it in back-to-back races in the spring of 2022, beating Envoi Allen at the Cheltenham Festival as a 5/2 chance and then a month later at Punchestown after going off at 4/7.
Aside from that, there’s been no real ongoing rivalry between Envoi Allen and a particular horse with one possible ‘criticism’ of Envoi Allen’s career being that it’s yet to beat another champion horse to the finish line.
Flat and jump races take place in the UK and Ireland on almost every day of the year with odds available 24 to 48 hours before the race goes off.
The winner market is the most popular, though some punters like to back horses each-way, just to place, or to side with one of two horses on a head-to-head market, when available.
Here are a few trends worth considering in light of Envoi Allen’s successes.
If we want to be kind to Envoi Allen, we’d point to that excellent record of winning 63% of its races under rules to date.
If we wanted to be less kind, critics have pointed to the fact it hasn’t often beaten horses of note.
So, you could say it’s something of a flat-track bully, boasting an outstanding record when going off as favourite, often at odds-on, and only twice winning at odds of evens or greater, doing so at 7/2 and 13/2.
Save your money for when it goes off at short prices and avoid betting on him in races where it has serious competition in the field.
Envoi Allen isn’t currently participating in any races but will surely be in action again soon; check the LeoVegas blog nearer the time for tips.
The next time it’s in action, LeoVegas will display its odds and those of the other horses in their market, meaning you don’t have to calculate them yourself.
Envoi Allen tends to win as the favourite but doesn’t often win when not going off as favourite.
It’s extremely reliable when it comes to delivering at short prices but isn’t reliable when it goes off at bigger prices, struggling to beat better-fancied rivals.