Martello Tower to be rested

Barry Connell has confirmed that Cheltenham Festival hero Martello Tower will not run again this season.

The seven-year-old made it three wins for the season earlier this month, as he claimed the Albert Bartlett by half a length from Milsean and is now set for a well-deserved rest following a busy campaign.

Connell admits he and his fellow owners are still in deep in conversation over what will be on the agenda for the Margaret Mullins-trained horse next season, hinting that he could well make the transition to fences.

“We were obviously delighted with him and we’ve decided to give him a good break now, so he’s finished for the season,” he said. “I think you’ll find if any of mine win at Cheltenham, they will probably be given the rest of the season off and I think he deserves that.

“We’re just keeping our options open for next season. We could either stay over hurdles or go over fences and we’ll just see where we are nearer the time.”