Trainer Ruth Jefferson has decided to withdraw Waiting Patiently from the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase.
The 10-year-old had to settle for third in the Clarence House Chase at Ascot on Saturday, with First Flow jumping his rivals into submission after a sensational ride under David Bass.
Jefferson was still pleased to see her charge finish runner-up to Politologue but the North Yorkshire trainer believes the two-mile trip is now too short for Waiting Patiently.
He will now be campaigned over longer distances, with his last victory coming in February 2018.
Jefferson is now pondering other races at the Cheltenham Festival, while Aintree‘s meeting in April could also be on the agenda.
She told reporters: “After yesterday it seems a bit obvious we’re not going to run him over two miles again, so we’ve taken him out of the Champion Chase before I forgot to scratch him. I took him out so I wouldn’t accidentally leave him in the race in three weeks’ time.
“We’ll play things by ear. We’ll keep an eye on him for the next two or three weeks.
“He’ll either go to Cheltenham or Aintree, all being well. We’ll look further ahead now. He’s had two runs in a month. That will do for now.”
