Definitly Red may head to Doncaster for Chase

The Malton trainer’s preferred choice remains Saturday’s Cotswold Chase, Cheltenham’s trial race for the Gold Cup in March.

But, with the possibility of heavy ground, Definitly Red could, instead, line up in Doncaster’s Sky Bet Chase on the same day and attempt to carry top weight.

The nine-year-old, owned by Tickhill’s Phil Martin, won last season’s Grimthorpe Chase on Town Moor.

Unlucky in the Grand National when jockey Danny Cook’s saddle slipped following a melee at Becher’s Brook on the first circuit, the chaser showed his class when landing last month’s Grade Two Many Clouds Chase back at Aintree.

“Cheltenham is the main plan at the moment, but it could be off, it could be bottomless so we’ll just have to see,” said Ellison.

“We want to find out if he acts round Cheltenham. If he does, he’ll go for the Gold Cup, if he doesn’t we’ll aim for Aintree and the Grand National.”

L’Ami Serge is an interesting entry for the Sky Bet Chase. Winner of the French Champion Hurdle, the horse chased home Jedd O’Keeffe’s Sam Spinner in the Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot last month.

The horse is trained by Nicky Henderson and ridden by Daryl Jacob who said: “L’Ami Serge is in good form.

“He feels in really, really good nick. His confidence is sky high after running over hurdles and I’m really encouraged by how he felt and schooled.

“The ground at Doncaster should be drier than elsewhere and I think the race will really suit him.

“They go a good gallop and he can just mosey away and work his way into it.”

Alan King, who has won the last two runnings with Ziga Boy, looks to Label Des Obeaux to give him a hat-trick of victories.

Paul Nicholls is two-handed, with Frodon and Warriors Tale, as is Nigel Twiston-Davies, with Flying Angel and Bigbadjohn.

Others in the list include Neil Mulholland’s pair of The Young Master and Pilgrims Bay while Wakanda could represent Bingley trainer Sue Smith and longstanding owners Ray and Margaret Scholey, who hail from South Yorkshire.

If Definitly Red heads to Cheltenham, possible opponents could include Bristol De Mai, who won Wetherby’s Charlie Hall Chase and Haydock’s Grade One Betfair Chase before disappointing in Kempton’s King George Chase on Boxing Day.

The mudlark has subsequently been treated for stomach ulcers.

Another horse on a retrieval mission is 2015 Gold Cup hero Coneygree.

Pulled up in the aforementioned Charlie Hall Chase, a race in which Definitly Red was third, the Mark Bradstock-trained chaser also failed to complete the course in Newbury’s Ladbrokes Trophy.

He has undergone a wind operation since running at Newbury.

Kim Bailey is keen to see how The Last Samuri, the 2016 Grimthorpe winner and Grand National runner-up, gets on outside handicap company, while Tea For Two could run for the in-form Nick Williams.

Tom George has entered Singlefarmpayment rather than King George runner-up Double Shuffle.

“We’ve put him in the handicap as well, but he loves Cheltenham and soft ground so we’re considering letting him take his chance,” he said.

Whisper, a leading contender for the Gold Cup, was an anticipated runner, but the aforementioned Henderson chose not to enter the horse because of the likelihood of testing ground.