Trainer James Moffatt has confirmed Highland Lodge will take a break before trying to win the Becher Chase at Aintree in December.
The 11-year-old competed in the Randox Health Grand National earlier this month but Moffatt believes the ground was too firm for him in Liverpool.
He was pulled up before the final fence but connections are confident he will bounce back when he makes his seasonal reappearance later this year.
Highland Lodge won the Becher Chase in 2015 before finishing second in it last year and Moffatt is excited to see him back in action.
“He’s absolutely fine. We’re going to give him two-and-a-half months out in the field until the middle of July and then bring him back in and the only race we’ll be thinking about will be the Becher.
“That’s the plan. Cheveley Park (owners) have asked for him to stay here through the summer which is great and we’ll try to emulate what we have done in the last two runnings of the Becher.
“We’ll bring him back gradually for that.”
