Dr Richard Newland expects Mirabad to have his next outing in the County Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.
The former smart French Flat performer, who finished second in a Fontainebleau Listed race in the Aga Khan colours, has taken to his new discipline very well indeed.
Since a wind operation in the summer, he has not finished out of the frame in four races, rising a stone in the handicap.
Most of that uplift is down to a 10lb increase following an easy win at Cheltenham’s December meeting, when he set a searching gallop and did not come back to the field, winning by over five lengths.
Mirabad has been given an entry in the valuable Newbury Handicap Hurdle next month but Newland, who trains in partnership with Jamie Insole, expects the ground to be too soft for his charge.
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County Hurdle Target
“He’s got an entry in the old Betfair Hurdle but he’ll only run in that if the ground is suitable, which I think is a long shot as he likes better ground, otherwise I think he’ll be directed at the County Hurdle – assuming he gets in,” said Newland.
“Normally, you wouldn’t want a 10lb rise but we needed it. He’s come out of the race well, he’s in super form and it’s just a question of giving him his chance in a top race where conditions are optimal.
“He would have got in the County Hurdle last year off his mark but not the previous year, so it’s not a done deal that he gets in.
“We’re almost certainly looking at the big spring targets now, like the County, either the Scottish Champion Hurdle or the Swinton or Aintree – we think he’s good enough to take his chance in those kinds of races.
“It was a big step up last time and I’m pretty sure it wasn’t a fluke, so we’re quite excited about him, I’m just not sure he’ll get to run at Newbury.”
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