Hewick on course for trip to Newbury on Friday

John ‘Shark’ Hanlon will campaign Hewick with Cheltenham’s Stayers’ Hurdle in mind before making a decision on whether he will tackle the Grand National for a second time.

The 10-year-old was eighth on his first attempt at Aintree last year but will be switched to hurdles for now with Newbury’s Long Distance Hurdle on Friday next on the agenda for the 2023 King George winner.

He won on his seasonal debut over timber at Thurles in hands of Hanlon’s son, Paddy, before switching to the larger obstacles and finding the pace at Wetherby too hot in the Grade Two Charlie Hall Chase.

Hanlon now has a clear hurdling campaign in mind before making a decision on the National and said on Monday: “He’s primed for the Long Distance Hurdle and we’re going in the morning. He’s done a workout this morning, a nice bit of work so we’re ready for the road.

“He (Paddy) won both rides on him and he’s back riding him again and he’s delighted to be riding him again. He’s getting a lot of experience and we’re happy for him riding him. He’s ridden him twice over hurdles and won twice over hurdles so we don’t want to break that record – he’s got a 100 per cent strike-rate!

“They went a million mile an hour at Wetherby and he just got outpaced early and maybe he might not have been 100 per cent as well.

“I think the Stayers’ Hurdle at Cheltenham will be first and we’ll have to talk then. I’d definitely like to give him another chance at the Grand National, now I’m not saying fully that he is going but I’d like to go down the Stayers Hurdle route up until March and then we’ll make a decision.

“The jump from hurdles to fences won’t make any difference. He jumps very well and hopefully everything goes well up to March and then we’ll make a decision.”

Hewick’s best form has come on good ground but Hanlon is not concerned with the likely good to soft ground at Newbury.

He added: “I don’t think the ground will be too bad over there. At the moment it’s good to soft and I don’t think there’s any rain coming. Over hurdles the ground is not as big an issue as it is over fences. It’s just that the fences are so big and he’s so small that it takes a lot out of him jumping so over hurdles it won’t be as bad.”