Sheehan – Cole Harden will be back

Gavin Sheehan is adamant the only thing that matters for Cole Harden this season is returning to the Cheltenham Festival in one piece.

Cole Harden was given a superb front-running ride by Sheehan to win the World Hurdle at Cheltenham last season before finishing second to Whisper at Aintree.

Those two rivals met on their seasonal reappearance in the Long Distance Hurdle at Newbury on Saturday and Cole Harden again adopted his customary front-running position.

Jumping fluently for Sheehan, Cole Harden started to fade halfway up the straight before rallying again after the final flight to finish third, beaten six-and-a-half lengths by Thistlecrack.

With the soft ground not helping Cole Harden to produce his best form, Sheehan was left pleased with the run and is looking forward to returning to Cheltenham in the spring.

“It’s not the end of the world,” Sheehan, who rode a treble earlier on the card, told Racing UK. “He’s come away safe and sound, which is the main thing.

“We’ve only got one place in mind and that’s Cheltenham and the World Hurdle.

“He’s had a nice day and he’ll be back again for sure.”

Warren Greatrex’s six-year-old is unlikely to have a rematch with Thistlecrack in the Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot next month, with the Relkeel Hurdle or Cleeve Hurdle at Cheltenham due to be Cole Harden’s next target.