CHELTENHAM NEWS

Lavelle confirms plans for Paisley Park

Trainer Emma Lavelle has confirmed Paisley Park will head straight to the Cheltenham Festival later this year.

The nine-year-old had been considered for the rescheduled Cleeve Hurdle at Wetherby this weekend, but Lavelle has decided against entering her stable star.

Lavelle believes a racecourse gallop is the best option, with the testing ground part of her thinking.

Andrew Gemmell’s charge won the Porsche Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot in December and Lavelle says he will now head straight to Cheltenham.

She told reporters: “On balancing up on what makes sense and what doesn’t, I just don’t think it makes sense to go up there and run on what will be incredibly testing ground.

“Don’t get me wrong – it wasn’t as though Cheltenham wasn’t going to be testing, but there were other reasons for wanting to go to Cheltenham.

“It would have been experience back there, having had his heart fibrillation (after last year’s Stayers’ Hurdle).

“We said if it was on, we’d go. We’d have gone to Wincanton, but it was dubious if that was going to be on.”

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