Down Royal ground could see Spillane’s Tower rerouted

Ground conditions will dictate whether Spillane’s Tower will make his seasonal reappearance in the BetVictor Champion Chase at Down Royal on Saturday.

A dual Grade One-winning novice chaser two seasons ago, the JP McManus-owned seven-year-old made an excellent start to the last campaign when splitting Fact To File and Galopin Des Champs in the John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase.

He disappointed as favourite for the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day and did not run again until the spring when filling the runner-up spot behind Galopin Des Champs in the Punchestown Gold Cup.

This weekend’s Grade One feature in Northern Ireland looks an ideal place for Spillane’s Tower to get his season under way before McManus unleashes his other big guns in the staying division, including the reigning Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Inothewayurthinkin, but trainer Jimmy Mangan will not risk his stable star on unsuitably dry ground.

“We need it to rain really. There’s selective watering going on, so that doesn’t sound great,” said Mangan.

“I wouldn’t be too sure whether he’ll be declared on Thursday morning or not, I’d need to see a change in going anyway.

“He’s in good shape. We’ve entered him in the John Durkan again. I’d like to run him (on Saturday), but whether the ground is just too tight we’ll wait and see.”