Trainer Tom George is leaving his options open for God’s Own, with either Haydock‘s Betfair Chase or a trip to Ascot on the agenda.
The eight-year-old enjoyed an excellent seasonal reappearance at Aintree on October 23, finishing second in a Grade Two contest on Merseyside, and he has two entries for Saturday.
The Haydock showpiece is an option but connections are also looking at Ascot’s Stella Artois 1965 Chase as an alternative.
God’s Own was last seen in the winner’s circle in the Boylesports Champion Chase at Punchestown in April and hopes are high for another decent campaign.
But whether it will be Haydock or Aintree next is very much down to the conditions, according to George.
“He’s in good form and we’re ready to go,” said the Down Farm handler. “He’s in at Haydock as well. We’ll just have to see what the weather does during the week.
“The better the ground, the better it is for him, so we’ll be going wherever the ground is best.
“He’ll go on good to soft but we don’t want to go if it’s soft ground. We wouldn’t want to test his stamina over three miles on ground that was too soft for him.
“We’re totally ground dependent, so it’s what happens over the next few days.”
