Comfort Zone possible for Leopardstown ahead of Cheltenham challenge

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Finale Juvenile Hurdle hero Comfort Zone will have one more run before a possible tilt at the Triumph Hurdle, trainer Joseph O’Brien has revealed.

The Churchill gelding was a neck superior to Dixon Cove in the Grade Two event at Chepstow over Christmas.

The JP McManus-owned four-year-old had previously finished third at Fairyhouse to Triumph Hurdle favourite Lossiemouth, who subsequently franked that form by winning a Grade Two at Leopardstown on Boxing Day.

The Owning Hill handler is keen to head to the Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown, with the €150,000 Grade One Spring Juvenile Hurdle on February 4 a likely landing spot.

O’Brien said: “It was a good performance at Chepstow and he has come back from that race well.

“He has an option of going to the Dublin Racing Festival in Ireland and he has an option of going to Cheltenham, but we are considering the Dublin Racing Festival and then, after that, we will look at further plans from there. But that is as far as we’ve got.

“He’s had three runs over hurdles now and his jumping is pretty good. We are potentially looking at Leopardstown, but nothing has been set in stone. It is a long time from Christmas to the Triumph Hurdle.”

Home By The Lee, who sauntered to a three-length success in the Jack De Bromhead Christmas Hurdle at Leopardstown, has taken the Grade One contest in his stride, according to O’Brien.

He will head straight to Cheltenham for the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle in which he was beaten seven and a half lengths in sixth by Flooring Porter last year.

Home By The Lee will head straight to Cheltenham
Home By The Lee will head straight to Cheltenham (Niall Carson/PA)

The Sean O’Driscoll-owned eight-year-old cruised to success over Bob Olinger on his seasonal return at Navan and travelled sweetly in beating Ashdale Bob over three miles on his next start.

O’Brien said: “He has had a very good season so far. The plan is to go straight for the Stayers’. He wasn’t beaten far in it last year and he does look a better horse this year, so hopefully he will go there with a live chance.

“He jumped and travelled well the last day, so we are pleased with his season and looking forward to Cheltenham.”

Another who will make a return to the Festival in March is Scarlet And Dove, who went down by just half a length to Elimay when third in the Mrs Paddy Power Mares’ Chase last year.

The Gigginstown House Stud-owned nine-year-old overturned the form with that rival in no uncertain terms when romping to a 15-length success in a Grade Two at Punchestown in April.

She showed her well-being with a cosy success in a Grade Three contest over two miles and five furlongs at Fairyhouse on New Year’s Day. O’Brien is set to run her once more before Cheltenham.

He said: “She’ll have another run in Ireland, in the Opera Hat, which is a mares’ chase at Naas (February 11), and from there she will go straight on to Cheltenham.

“She ran well there last year and we are hoping she will run well there again this year.”

Epatante ‘still a possible’ for Mares’ Hurdle after Henderson mistake

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Nicky Henderson believes Epatante must be treated as “still a possible runner” in the Mares’ Hurdle – despite her not featuring among the initial entries for the Cheltenham Festival contest.

The winner of the Champion Hurdle in 2020 before placing behind Honeysuckle the following two years, Epatante has been given the option of a third crack at stablemate Constitution Hill as one of 17 to put their name in the hat for the Unibet Champion Hurdle on March 14.

But Henderson admitted she should also have been given an entry for the mares-only Grade One 40 minutes later on the opening day card and is keen to point out the supplementary system gives her just as much chance of lining-up in that contest as the Champion Hurdle – and therefore should still be considered as a potential runner for betting purposes

He said: “She should have been entered, she was meant to be entered and as far as everyone is concerned she is still a possible runner because she can be supplemented.

“She should have been entered, it was my mistake, which is embarrassing.

“She is still a possible runner in the Mares’ Hurdle. Just because she is not in it, doesn’t mean she can’t run in it and she has got as much chance of running in it this afternoon as she had this morning.”

He continued: “The supplementary system is very good and she can still be supplemented, therefore she should be considered as an entry in my opinion. It’s my mistake and I apologise, but she should not be excluded from the betting in the Mares’ Hurdle.

Nicky Henderson and Epatante during the visit to Nicky Henderson’s yard at Seven Barrows in Lambourn, Berkshire
Nicky Henderson and Epatante during the visit to Nicky Henderson’s yard at Seven Barrows in Lambourn, Berkshire (Tim Goode/PA)

“Now I have no idea what race the intention of running in is, she should have been entered in both and she will run in one of the two, god willing. I can’t say which it will be because we don’t know and we wouldn’t know even if she had the entries for both races.

“But she must be considered as if she has been entered (for the Mares’), because we can supplement her at the five-day stage and we will do so if that is the race we want.”

Henderson, who is the Champion Hurdle’s leading trainer, could also be represented by Gerry Feilden winner First Street in the opening day feature while the Seven Barrows handler’s only other possible for the Mares’ Hurdle is defending champion Marie’s Rock, who is the current market leader at a best price of 5-2.

Willmount looks a star in the making with Doncaster victory

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Willmount made a dream start under rules for Neil Mulholland with an effortless success in the Good Luck “Beep Beep Burrow” Open Maiden National Hunt Flat Race at Doncaster.

The Blue Bresil gelding won his sole point-to-point start as a four-year-old and then changed hands for £340,000 before being sent to Mulholland’s yard.

The 5-2 favourite from a field of 14, the Jamie Moore-ridden bay made light work of both the testing ground and his rivals to saunter home 13 lengths ahead without ever needing to hit top gear.

“He’s a very nice horse, whatever he did today he’ll improve from it,” Mulholland said.

“He’s only a baby but he cost a lot of money so I was a little bit harder on him, trying to get him ready first time out.

“That took the edge off him, so whatever he did today he will improve from.

“He’s a long-term prospect, he won’t be going novice hurdling this year. The owner is very relaxed, he’ll just go in bumpers because he’s just a baby.

“We’d go for one of the good bumpers – I’ll have to talk to the owners, but definitely. Why not?”

Mulholland had another victory on the card with Feel Good Inc, who built on earlier promise shown to land the Betting Better With Sky Bet Maiden Hurdle under Richie McLernon.

The gelding, a five-year-old by Westerner, fell when holding every chance in his sole Irish point-to-point start and was then third on his hurdles debut at Uttoxeter in November.

Feel Good Inc and Richie McLernon
Feel Good Inc and Richie McLernon (Simon Marper/PA)

The form from that race has panned out well, and at Doncaster he was a good winner at 9-1 when finishing a length and a half ahead of Nicky Henderson’s Issuing Authority – the 4-6 favourite.

“He’s a very nice horse and we’ve always liked him, hopefully he can continue on an upward curve,” Mulholland said.

“He’s a big baby but he’s a nice horse. When he was placed last time out, the horse behind him came out and won a Listed bumper and the winner has come out and won since – the form seems pretty good.”

Henderson’s Bold Endeavour claimed another chasing success when taking the Sky Bet Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase.

He was trained to bumper and hurdle wins by Laura Morgan before being pulled up on his debut over fences and subsequently moved into the care of Henderson.

His first run for Seven Barrows came in a Leicester handicap chase in early December, where he prevailed by 10 lengths against a field of six rivals.

That performance made him the 5-6 favourite on Town Moor, and under Nico de Boinville he came home seven lengths ahead despite losing ground on occasion with his jumping.

“The ground was plenty soft enough for him,” said the jockey.

Bold Endeavour and Nico de Boinville
Bold Endeavour and Nico de Boinville (Simon Marper/PA)

“He’s probably also better going the other way round but I was pleased that he knuckled down the way he did.

“They’ve gone a nice, even gallop, everyone was happy with the pace behind me and it suited him to run like that.”

Rose Dobbin’s Aazza was an easy winner of the Taj’s Time To Design ‘Hands And Heels’ Handicap Hurdle under 3lb claimer Dylan Johnston.

The seven-year-old was a 7-2 shot when looking to better a second-placed effort at Newcastle last time out, a run that left her on the same mark of 90 when lining up for this latest assignment.

From a field of 19 the mare was a facile winner, taking an unchallenged lead and crossing line with barely a rival in sight to secure a 20-length victory.

Bold Endeavour and Nico de Boinville
Rose Dobbin’s Aazza (Simon Marper/PA)

“That was very nice, very nice indeed, she’s a lovely horse with lovely owners,” said Dobbin.

“She’s very genuine. She’s probably going up a stone for that!

“She will go back over fences in spring at Hexham, she likes Hexham and I wouldn’t run her at a big track over fences. I think we’ll stay over hurdles for the moment.”

Hidden Beauty returned to the winner’s enclosure for Fergal O’Brien when triumphing in the Betting Better With Sky Bet Novices’ Hurdle.

The six-year-old won her bumper debut at four and was well-regarded at this point in the season last year, but atrial fibrillation interrupted her progress and she was carried out when making her hurdles debut in October.

Hidden Beauty and Paddy Brennan
Hidden Beauty and Paddy Brennan (Simon Marper/PA)

A fourth-placed run last time was a step forward and under Paddy Brennan she was a four-and-a-half-length winner at a price of 12-1.

“She’s a very, very nice mare. She was favourite for the Listed bumper at Cheltenham last year and then she suffered from the atrial fibrillation,” said Nick Brown of owners Nick Brown Racing.

“Fergal and the team have done a fantastic job to get her confidence back, that’s what she needed. The quality has always been there, it’s just that she needed the confidence.

“She also needs better ground, when he came here we were a little worried about the ground, but it was more of a confidence builder and it’s all worked out really well.”

The Questioner made his chasing debut a winning one with a hard-fought success in the Sky Bet UKs No.1 Betting App Novices’ Handicap Chase.

The Questioner and Craig Nichol (left)
The Questioner and Craig Nichol (left) (Simon Marper/PA)

Trained by Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero and ridden by Craig Nichol, the chestnut has been progressive in hurdle contests and was the 7-4 favourite to retain that form when tasked with jumping a fence for the first time.

Standing in his way was Charlie Longsdon’s Lyrical Genius, who battled him all the way to the line to miss out by a short head as the rest of the field came home 31 lengths or more behind.

“He was a little bit careful, but as the race went on he built up confidence and he was very good,” said Nichol.

“Once he gets out and gets his space, he’s very good. He just had a bit of a habit of lugging right and today he’s left it behind him a little bit.

“He’s battled, the second horse wasn’t going to let me be. The two of them have had a great battle.”

Lavelle backing Paisley Park to close gap with Flooring Porter

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Paisley Park is reported to be in “great order” ahead of a fifth run in the Stayers’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

Emma Lavelle’s stable star won the Paddy Power-backed Thursday feature in 2019 and his name was among the 28 possible runners for the contest when the entries were released on Tuesday.

Last seen defying the tight turns of Kempton when landing the rearranged Long Walk Hurdle on Boxing Day, the 11-year-old will attempt to win the Dahlbury Stallions At Chapel Stud Cleeve Hurdle for a fourth time on January 28 as he completes his on-track Festival preparations.

And his trainer is proud to see him still competing at the highest level despite his advancing years.

“It just goes to show that you should never pigeonhole Paisley and I couldn’t have been happier with him on a track (Kempton) that probably doesn’t play to his strengths,” said Lavelle.

“I was very proud that he’s still winning at that level as a 10-year-old.

“Touch wood, he’s in great order – good, fresh and well and he’ll go to the Cleeve Hurdle first and the Stayers’ Hurdle is his big aim as ever. He’ll do one more piece of work on the grass next week (ahead of the Cleeve) but he’s in good form.”

Paisley Park has finished placed behind Gavin Cromwell’s hat-trick seeking Flooring Porter in the past two years, but Lavelle has hopes of a reversal this time.

Jockey Aidan Coleman (right) in the parade ring after winning the Long Walk Hurdle on Paisley Park at Kempton on Boxing Day
Jockey Aidan Coleman (right) in the parade ring after winning the Long Walk Hurdle on Paisley Park at Kempton on Boxing Day (John Walton/PA)

On turning the tables with the defending champion, she continued: “I certainly hope so – I do think so far this year that he has been performing better than last year and if he can keep that up, I’d like to think we’ll be finishing closer or hopefully in front of him.”

The Paddy Power market is dominated by Irish-trained entries with Flooring Porter heading the betting at 5-1 and closely followed by Joseph O’Brien’s Christmas Hurdle scorer Home By The Lee and Willie Mullins’ Klassical Dream.

The latter is one of eight for the Closutton handler with the possible Mullins runners including the Rich Ricci-owned pair of Chacun Pour Soi and Monkfish and last year’s Ballymore winner Sir Gerhard.

Charles Byrnes won the race with Solwhit in 2013 and could be represented by Blazing Khal, while the shortest-priced British-trained entry is Nicky Henderson’s Marie’s Rock, despite last year’s Mares’ Hurdle champion most likely to defend her title over shorter on the Tuesday of the Festival.

However, one whose name was missing from the list of entries is Seven Barrows stablemate Champ, who will bypass Prestbury Park in favour of a trip to Merseyside.

“Champ is on a little break so he won’t be running at Cheltenham,” said Frank Berry, racing manager to owner JP McManus.

“He will be freshened up for Aintree, that is the plan with him.”

Ballygrifincottage handed Lingfield mission by Skelton

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Dan Skelton will send exciting novice chaser Ballygrifincottage to Lingfield next weekend after deciding to bypass the Grade Two eventmasters.co.uk Hampton Novices’ Chase at Warwick on Saturday.

Fourth in the Albert Bartlett at the Cheltenham Festival in March, he opened his account at the first time of asking over fences when beating odds-on Beauport by 11 lengths in a three-runner affair over an extended two miles and five furlongs at Haydock in November.

Owned by Friends From Insurance, the lightly-raced eight-year-old is as short as 11-1 with Sky Bet for the extended three-mile Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase on March 15 and is 8-1 with William Hill for the three-and-three-quarter-mile National Hunt Chase on March 14.

A son of Stowaway, he is being primed for the extended two miles and seven furlongs of the Weatherbys nhstallions.co.uk Novices’ Chase, which is worth £50,000.

Skelton said: “He definitely goes to Lingfield next week for the Winter Millions meeting.

“I just wanted an extra week and I can split them all up as well then. He jumps well and loves slow ground.”

Skelton will instead rely upon the mare Gaila Des Liteaux in the three-mile event at Warwick.

She impressed on her chasing bow at Bangor, before being pulled up behind Thyme Hill when well supported for the Kauto Star Novices’ Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day.

Buzz given Cheltenham entry as he continues on comeback trail

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Buzz has been handed a tentative entry for the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival as he continues his recovery from a pelvis injury.

Nicky Henderson’s dual-purpose star has won five times for owners Thurloe Thoroughbreds since being bought out of Hughie Morrison’s yard, capturing the racing public’s attention when landing both the Cesarewitch and Ascot Hurdle in quick succession in 2021.

That set up the Motivator gelding for a tilt at the Long Walk Hurdle, but he suffered a fractured pelvis a day before the race and has been on the comeback trail ever since.

Although still in the very early stages of his training at Henderson’s Seven Barrows base, he has been given the option of competing in the Thursday feature at the Festival and James Stafford of owners Thurloe Thoroughbreds says it is a race they will think about if the nine-year-old gives the right signals.

He said: “He’s going through his very early paces. The entry stage was this morning so we had to make the entry for Cheltenham.

“It doesn’t mean Buzz is back, we hope he’s back, but if you are not in today you have no chance of running.

“It’s an entry, which if he tells us in the next two to three weeks he’s getting better, then we will think about it.”

Buzz will have been off the track for over 450 days if returning at Prestbury Park and Stafford believes the horse deserves that opportunity having been the model patient during his recovery.

“It would be fantastic to see him back as he has been the most marvellous patient and has done everything asked along the way,” he continued.

Buzz ridden by jockey Nico de Boinville (left) clear a fence on their way to winning the Coral Hurdle (Registered As The Ascot Hurdle) in 2021
Buzz ridden by jockey Nico de Boinville (left) clear a fence on their way to winning the Coral Hurdle (Registered As The Ascot Hurdle) in 2021 (Nigel French/PA)

“He deserves to come back for the effort, he as a horse, has put into his own well-being. There has been masses of loving people around him who have done a marvellous job helping, but he has been a massive help to himself, which is three-quarters of the battle.”

A percentage of the prize-money earned by Buzz has been donated to the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, a factor Stafford thinks is another reason for his popularity.

He added: “The cancer charity link has captured the imagination, he has won a Cesarewitch and a Grade Two and he’s grey. So there’s lots to love about him and he’s a trier – he will never give up for you.”

All options open for exciting bumper performer Fascile Mode

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Fascile Mode impressed when taking a competitive Leopardstown bumper with ease over Christmas and owner-trainer Tom Mullins now looks set to cash in on the homebred Walk In The Park five-year-old.

Having beaten a pair of better-fancied horses from each of Willie Mullins’ and Gordon Elliott’s yards, he is now as short as 8-1 for the Weatherbys Champion Bumper at the Cheltenham Festival on March 15.

Fascile Mode had to come wide in the two-mile contest under 7lb claimer Charlie Mullins, but had the race in the bag a furlong out and stayed on strongly, sparking plenty of interest from some powerful owners.

“There was loads of interest,” admitted Mullins. “We haven’t finalised anything yet, but if he is still with me, he will be going to Leopardstown for the (Grade Two) Dublin Festival bumper (February 4).

“He is a lovely horse. I bred him myself, so we have been minding him all the way.

“We were nearly going to go down the point-to-point route, so we have him well schooled. He was showing enough speed and we thought he’d win a bumper, which he did.

“He had to come wide turning in, which wasn’t ideal, and he still had it won a furlong down. He stayed on and was going away at the line, which impressed me.”

Mullins, who was unbeaten on the mighty mare Dawn Run when a jockey, is based at Goresbridge in Kilkenny and has had plenty of success as a trainer, in particular with four-time Grade One hurdler Asian Maze.

However, competing against big yards who boast owners with deep pockets means he is forced to sell on occasion.

“Sadly, I don’t have the mare (C’Est La Mode). I sold her three years ago,” he said.

“I don’t know if we will keep a piece of Fascile Mode, but I have a full-sister and a half-sister, so I’m really hopeful he will come on for them and go and win good races for them to breed from.

“I have a good Fame And Glory half-sister, she will be out in the spring, so we’re looking forward to that.”

Mullins is hopeful Fascile Mode will acquit himself well on his next start, before a potential run at Cheltenham.

Tom Mullins poised to sell Fascile Mode
Tom Mullins poised to sell Fascile Mode (Donall Farmer/PA)

He added: “If he runs very well or wins at Leopardstown, he’ll definitely be a Cheltenham Bumper horse.

“I can’t get my hands on bumper horses any more, as they have gone very expensive. I have to breed them to get them now, I suppose.”

He laughed: “It is not easy competing with Willie (Mullins’ brother) for young horses – and then you have to go and beat him on the track!”

Brown Advisory looks ‘most logical’ target for The Real Whacker

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Patrick Neville is planning to head straight to the Cheltenham Festival with his exciting novice chaser The Real Whacker.

Placed in Grade Two company as a novice hurdler last season, the seven-year-old made a successful chasing debut at Cheltenham in November before producing a spring-heeled display to land the Dipper Novices’ Chase on his return to Prestbury Park on New Year’s Day.

The Real Whacker has been given an ambitious entry in the Cheltenham Gold Cup but looks set to stick to novice company, with a step back up in trip for the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase the likely target.

Neville said: “He came out of the race on New Year’s Day very good, I’m very happy with him. He stepped up a good bit and I was delighted with him.

“I think he’ll go straight to the Festival now – we’re not that far away. Probably the most logical will be the Brown Advisory. I gave him an entry in the Gold Cup, but we’ll probably go for the three-mile novice.

“His jumping is very good and his last run was only his sixth run. He hasn’t much mileage on the clock and if he keeps progressing, I’ll be happy.”

The Real Whacker is the star of a team of around 20 horses Neville trains out of Ann Duffield’s yard in North Yorkshire, having made the move from Ireland in 2021.

Neville was due to take up residence at a yard of his own yard in nearby Middleham, but ended up setting up alongside Duffield on the outskirts of Leyburn and it has proved a fruitful relationship.

“I came over a year ago last November. I came to take a yard and when that fell through I ended up going to Ann Duffield and I’m delighted it’s working out,” the trainer added.

The Real Whacker was a winner at Cheltenham in November
The Real Whacker was a winner at Cheltenham in November (David Davies/Jockey Club)

“I thought it would be easy transferring the Irish licence over but it wasn’t – it took nine or 10 months. Initially we were running the National Hunt horses under Ann’s name and since we came over we’ve had about 17 winners.

“N’Golo was a Grade Three winner and ‘Whacker’ was second in the Grade Two hurdle last year.”

Reflecting on his decision to move across the Irish Sea, Neville said: “I’ve been training in Ireland since around 2006 and we had some nice winners, but just for the last couple of years it was a struggle. We just couldn’t get owners.

“The good thing about the UK is there’s plenty of racing and you can train horses for races. In Ireland there might be only one race meeting on during the week and you could be balloted out then for six or seven weeks. It’s very hard to keep a horse training for that long without getting into a race.

“I travelled over to England a few times and a had a few winners and I just thought ‘you know what, it’s costing too much to travel over, I’ll give it a go over here for a while and see how it goes’.

“We’ve got fabulous facilities and I get on great with Ann. I rent 22 or 23 boxes off her, it’s a lovely location and it’s going well.”

Supreme engagement on the cards for L’Astroboy

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Evan Williams could target the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival with L’Astroboy, who outran his odds to finish runner-up to Tahmuras in the Tolworth Novices’ Hurdle at Sandown on Saturday.

Adam Wedge’s mount, who had won a bumper at Ffos Las, beating Tahmuras by a neck on his debut in February, went into the Grade One contest on the back of a maiden hurdle success on the same Welsh track in November.

Sent off a 16-1 chance for the two-mile contest, the William and Angela Rucker-owned L’Astroboy stayed on under pressure to take the runner-up spot, some two and a half lengths behind the winner.

The six-year-old Kasmin gelding has taken the race well, according to his Llancarfan handler.

Williams said: “The horse ran well. We took a bit of a punt running in a race like that but I’ve no complaints whatsoever.

“He has run a very solid race. He still looked a work in progress in many aspects. You could only take positives out of it. You couldn’t in any shape or form be negative at all.”

With favourite Authorised Speed soon beaten and Irish raider Arctic Bresil pulled up, some were quick to crab the form of the eight-runner contest, which was run in soft ground.

“It was funny,” said Williams. “Before the race, everyone said what a good race it was. So, I read all these reports before the race about how hot a race it was, then I read the reports after saying what a poor race it was.

“So, what I am going to do, as always, is leave it to the experts in the press!”

Though L’Astroboy could take on Tahmuras again in the Sky Bet-sponsored Supreme on March 14, Williams is keen to let the dust settle before making any decision.

“I haven’t got a plan,” he added. “It was very sporting of the owners to have a crack at a Grade One after winning two races at Ffos Las.

“We are genuinely delighted with him and genuinely delighted with how he has come out of the race.

“I don’t think we will get too fixated on anything. We have got loads of options. He will be entered at Cheltenham in the two-mile race.

“I wouldn’t think we will go further at this stage, although he looks like he will stay further down the line. We will see if the experts are correct in their assumptions.

“I’m very lucky in that I have never, ever listened to anybody else’s opinion, I’ve only ever listened to mine – it has always served me well down the years!”

Longhouse Poet could make Galmoy stop on National trail

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Longhouse Poet could run in the John Mulhern Galmoy Hurdle as Martin Brassil plots a route back to the Randox Grand National on April 15.

The nine-year-old was pulled up on his reappearance at Punchestown in November, but returned to form in style at Christmas, keeping on well to land the O’Kelly Brothers Demolition Hurdle at Limerick.

Now Brassil looks poised to keep his charge over hurdles for his next outing and will head to Gowran Park on January 26 for the Grade Two contest over three miles.

The Galmoy Hurdle is the support act to the Thyestes Chase and it is somewhat fitting that Longhouse Poet will be back at Gowran exactly 12 months on from announcing himself as a Grand National contender when landing the feature handicap chase.

Subsequently sent off 12-1 for the Aintree showpiece in 2022, the son of Yeats took well to unique challenge of the National course and was still in the running, disputing the lead, at the second-last before falling away late on to eventually finish sixth.

And Brassil, who won the Grand National with Numbersixvalverde in 2006, is eyeing up another crack at the Liverpool marathon with his stable star in the spring.

“I’ll probably run him in the Galmoy Hurdle on January 26,” said Brassil.

“If everything is going well, we hope to get him back there (Aintree). If you have a horse with the profile of one of those National horses, it seems the obvious thing to do.

“He might have a run over fences before the National, but it will probably be the Galmoy Hurdle next.”

Brassil also provided an update on Panda Boy, who was narrowly denied in the competitive Paddy Power Chase at Leopardstown on December 27.

Panda Boy, here winning over hurdles at Leopardstown, will return to the Dublin track in February for a run over fences
Panda Boy, here winning over hurdles at Leopardstown, will return to the Dublin track in February for a run over fences (Donall Farmer/PA)

Having shown a real liking for the Dublin track, a return for the Leopardstown Handicap Chase during the Dublin Racing Festival on February 5 appears on the cards.

“We might head back for the Leopardstown Handicap Chase there at the Dublin Racing Festival,” continued Brassil. “He’s done well there every time he has run there.”

On whether Panda Boy could also progress into an Aintree candidate in the future, the Kildare-based handler added: “There will be a few more fences to jump, but you would be hopeful he might be at some stage.”