Robbie Power: Envoi Allen Has Great Chance Of Success In King George

on December 20, 2022 at 2:05 pm

BoyleSports horse racing ambassador Robbie Power has backed Envoi Allen as one of the horses to beat ahead of the King George Chase.

Christmas time racing is upon us and the King George Chase is the big one for horse racing fans on St. Stephen’s Day. Check out Power’s thoughts on why Envoi Allen might be the horse to beat along with what life is like for a jockey around the festive period.

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Who do you see winning the King George at Kempton?

Envoi Allen has a great chance of success there. He was very good when he won at Down Royal, he’s a horse with a lot of pace which you need around Kempton.

Bravemansgame is the deserved favourite, his form around Kempton is very good and he’s the one they all have to beat but I thought L’Homme Presse was very impressive at Newcastle. He’s not a big horse so to carry a big weight was very good. He won with plenty up his sleeve.

Envoi is an experienced campaigner, he had good runs over two miles last season, he was third in the Champion Chase, has plenty of pace and I think Kempton could play to his strengths. He’s definitely the overlooked horse in the King George.

What did Christmas as a jumps jockey look like for you?

This being my first Christmas away from the saddle is going to be different. Last Christmas I was injured with a broken hip and was the only Christmas I ever missed in my career so it’ll be different going to the racing this year and not having the excitement of riding but obviously I’m going to enjoy Christmas Eve and Christmas Day a whole lot more because I’ll have no restrictions.

I can eat what I want and drink what I want so I’m definitely going to enjoy this year more than I have the previous 20 years.

There have been a few meetings over the last couple of months that I’ve gone to wishing I was riding and I think that will be the same wherever I go over the Christmas period.

What would you typically eat on Christmas Day when you were riding?

It all depends on what I was riding over the next few days. Some Christmas’ I was able to enjoy myself and eat what I wanted to eat but there were others where I’d eat a bit of dinner and then be straight in the bath afterwards. to sweat off a few pounds.

In general, I was one of the lucky ones compared to Davy Russell and AP McCoy but there were a few Christmas’ where I’d go straight to the bath for a sweat.

Were you able to actually enjoy Christmas?

I always enjoyed Christmas with the family but it did hang over me if I had to watch what I was eating because there were always so many nice things on the table on Christmas Day. I was never one to worry about the racing the day before, I took care of it the next morning.

What was your preparation like on Boxing Day?

I’d study the form in the morning and go for a cycle or walk because it was always good to get some exercise in on the morning of the race.

Was there anyone in the weighing room that was able to indulge in wine and food without any worries?

All the jockeys in the weighing room now are a lot more disciplined than when I was riding. They’re all athletes, they look after themselves and maintain themselves well. There will always be a few that can enjoy their Christmas dinner and there will also be a few that won’t – that’s the joys of it.