Jimmy Mangan on Spillane's Tower: 'He’ll definitely come on for the race' The excitement is building ahead of this Saturday’s Down Royal Champion Chase and eyes will be on whether Spillane’s Tower, trained by Jimmy Mangan, can take his chance in the two-and-a-half-mile Grade 1 contest. It’s a race that once again promises to deliver a top-class clash of proven stars and emerging talent with names like Envoi Allen, Found A Fifty, and Western Fold among the likely runners this year. Mangan, who has long held a reputation for producing staying chasers the right way, is in no rush to make a final decision. He’s happy to leave the call to his jockey, Mark Walsh, who knows the horse as well as anyone. “Mark is riding in the chase there today [Friday], so he has the say in whether he will run or not,” Mangan explained to irishracing.com. “He’s a very big horse and he hits the ground hard, so I wouldn’t run him at all if it’s anyway tight. He’ll run well whenever he goes, but he’ll definitely come on for the race.” Durkan Another Option Ground conditions will be key for Spillane’s Tower, who thrives when there’s a bit of cut. The rain in recent days has been welcomed by many trainers hoping to avoid the unseasonably dry ground that has marked parts of the early autumn campaign. For Mangan, though, it’s as much about timing as it is about the weather. “It’s one day at a time with these horses,” he said. “He’s entered in the Durkan, and we’ll look there if he doesn’t run tomorrow. If he does end up running, we could still go to the Durkan as well - it just depends how he comes out of it.” This weekend’s Down Royal Champion Chase has attracted a stellar field. Envoi Allen, a dual Cheltenham Festival hero, is a horse who “loves Down Royal,” according to Mangan. “He always has his best day when running fresh,” he added. “And of course, Found A Fifty is a class horse as well - whether he stays the trip or not is another thing, but you can’t take anything away from him.” For Mangan, the horse’s welfare remains the same. “We’ll see what the ground does and how Mark feels,” he concluded. “He’s a good horse, and he’ll go well wherever he runs.”
