Kingwell Hurdle a possibility for Golden Ace

Jeremy Scott is hoping to give Golden Ace a prep run at Wincanton before she defends her crown in the Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

The eight-year-old took full advantage of the falls of The New Lion and Constitution Hill when winning the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle before she headed for Kempton Park on Boxing Day, where she only found the unbeaten Champion Hurdle favourite Sir Gino too good in the Christmas Hurdle.

State Man’s fall at the final flight in last year’s Champion Hurdle handed the race to Scott’s stable star and the Brompton Regis handler will point her at the Kingwell Hurdle at Wincanton before heading to Prestbury Park in March.

Scott said: “We’ll hopefully have her ready for the Kingwell, but that isn’t the ultimate aim as that will be the Champion Hurdle I would imagine.

“We bumped into one (at Kempton) that was a bit speedier than us. A bit more of a favourable track and a bit softer ground might see her in a better light.

“If we run in the Kingwell we would simply use that as a prep run (for the Champion Hurdle). The ground would obviously have to be right, she’d have to be bursting for a run too.”

The Willie Mullins-trained State Man gained his revenge at the Punchestown Festival in May and Scott is keen to head back across the Irish Sea following Cheltenham.

He added of the daughter of Golden Horn: “We’d love to go back to Punchestown again.”