Allaho makes winning return after 561-day absence in Clonmel Oil Chase

Dual Ryanair Chase winner Allaho made a successful reappearance in the Grade 2 Clonmel Oil Chase under Paul Townend. 

The Willie Mullins-trained nine-year-old, off the track for 561 days since landing last year’s Punchestown Gold Cup due to a bleed on his spleen, comfortably got the better of stablemate Janidil.

With last year’s Paddy Power Gold Cup runner-up French Dynamite withdrawn due to unsuitable ground by trainer Mouse Morris, Allaho was sent off the 1-4 favourite in a three-runner field and made all to secure a fifth Graded success in a row.

“It’s brilliant to get him back on the track,” Townend told Racing TV. “Hopefully he’s not finished yet but just to get him back on the racecourse was exciting and he duly obliged.

“I didn’t want to light him up on the ground, it’s very testing here today. He was off for so long, I didn’t want to go setting him alight early. He actually jumped a little to his left and had a look at the first couple of fences but I was happy enough to let him do that. He’s a big animal to be organising and when I wanted he was straight and true.”

Townend has combined with Mullins to win the 2m4½f Clonmel Oil with the likes of Champagne Fever, Kemboy, Douvan and Blue Lord and the winning rider added: “There’s plenty there to work on and it’s a nice race to start him off in. Willie often brings a good one here and this fella fell into that category this year.”

“What he’s achieved so far has been brilliant and hopefully he’s going to retain that level of ability. He’s not getting any younger but he could do no more on that ground, they all finished tired. Willie can make a plan with him from here on.”

Betfair left Allaho unchanged at 4-1 to land a third Ryanair Chase after his nine-length victory but other firms were more impressed with bet365 and Sky Bet trimming the Cheveley Park-owned star to 3-1 (from 4) at the head of the market.

This race report is being updated and more news will follow shortly.

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