O'Brien to sidestep Cheltenham with Hullnback

Fergal O'Brien believes top novice hurdler Hullnback would struggle to handle the hustle and bustle of the Cheltenham Festival.

Connections of the six-year-old have therefore decided to bypass the meeting in favour of a return to Aintree, the scene of his runner-up effort in a Grade Two bumper at the Grand National meeting last April.

Hullnback has looked a smart hurdling prospect in each of his three attempts this term, finishing runner-up to Pikar at Chepstow in October and twice winning subsequently.

His defeat of Nemean Lion at Haydock the following month was franked when Kerry Lee's runner was placed in the Grade One Tolworth Hurdle, and having justified odds of 2-5 at Warwick with ease off a 73-day break last time, O'Brien feels the potential must be nurtured.

"We just feel that Cheltenham would absolutely blow his mind," said the in-form Withington handler.

"He's a lovely young horse. He had good form round Aintree last year and he ran well the other day.

"As far as we are concerned, he has his whole career ahead of him, but mentally he is not ready for Cheltenham."

O'Brien looks set to pit his charge against top-class opposition at Aintree, planning to give him entries in both the Top Novices' Hurdle and the Mersey Novices' Hurdle.

He added: "The plan is to go to Aintree. He'll be put in the two and two-and-a-half-miler. Paddy (Brennan, jockey) and the boys are favouring the two-miler. We'll enter him in both and see which one he'd have his best chance in.

"We just felt that, all things being equal, there were more negatives than positives to go to Cheltenham.

"He's young and he's so very raw it's not true. I would love to go to Cheltenham and both his owners wanted to go to Cheltenham, but in fairness they left it to