Noel Meade eyeing Gowran return for Road To Respect
By Racing TV
Last Updated: Tue 5 Dec 2023
Cheltenham Festival hero Road To Respect could make his seasonal reappearance in the PWC Champion Chase at Gowran Park on Saturday.
The Noel Meade-trained six-year-old was a dominant winner of the Brown Advisory & Merriebelle Stable Plate at Prestbury Park in March and rounded off the campaign by claiming the notable scalp of Yorkhill in the Ryanair Gold Cup at Fairyhouse on Easter Sunday.
He is one of nine entries for this weekend's two-and-a-half-mile Grade Two and Meade will wait until later in the week before making a final decision on his participation.
He said: "I'd say he's probably no more than 50-50 to run at this stage.
"He's done tremendously well over the summer and he's in great form.
"He's probably still a little bit short (of work), but we'll see what the race is looking like and what the ground is like later in the week.
"It's going to be a big step up for him this season, but that's what it's all about."
Admirable grey Ballycasey won the prize 12 months ago and could defend his crown for Willie Mullins, who has also entered Shaneshill.
Henry de Bromhead, who trained Sizing Europe to claim four successive renewals of the race between 2011 and 2014, also has has a couple of contenders, with Galway Plate winner Balko Des Flos joined by stable companion Devils Bride.
Gordon Elliott's A Toi Phil, the James Sheehan-trained Hurricane Ben, Kylecrue from John Ryan's yard and Jessica Harrington's Woodland Opera complete the possibles.
Related posts
Five horses to follow from our experts on Saturday
Dave Nevison's Saturday tips: best bets at Sandown and Haydock
Photo-finish drama! Wrong result called after Perth finale
Martin Dixon's tips for Saturday: "I think he'll be hard to beat"
Skelton breaks £5m prize-money barrier as Doyen Quest strikes
Featured offers
Bet £10 get £40 in free bets with Kwiff
T&Cs Apply
Claim Now
Bet £10 Get £50 in free bets in Multis with Betfair
T&Cs Apply
Claim Now
Bet £10 Get £30 in free bets with Betano
T&Cs Apply
Claim Now
Copyright 2026 Racing TV - All Rights Reserved.
Please bet responsibly
Copyright 2026. All rights reserved