Hill could follow Wetherby route

A smart novice hurdler last season, the seven-year-old took his tally over fences to two from three in a Grade Two at Doncaster before Christmas. “Thankfully we got the Doncaster race out of the way as I wouldn’t want to be running in this ground,” said Greatrex.

“Regarding races at Cheltenham, he will have entry in the handicaps, the RSA and the National Hunt Chase.”

Another December winner for the yard was the mare Petticoat Tails, who survived a few sketchy leaps at Wetherby on Boxing Day under champion jockey Richard Johnson.

Greatrex said: “We will find something small and there is race later this month at Newcastle.

“The mares’ final at Newbury at the end of March would be the ultimate plan. That is a good pot to win.

“By the time she gets there she should have learnt a lot.

“She is quite inquisitive and laid-back.

“She only ever does enough and her jumping was not as good as can be as she jumps very well at home. She seems fine and she should keep improving.”

Meanwhile top trainers are finalising their Cheltenham plans for two recent winners at Catterick.

Champion trainer Nicky Henderson’s Divine Spear – victorious at the North Yorkshire track and then Ascot – will have just one more run before attempting to land the Close Brothers Novices’ Handicap Chase at the National Hunt Festival.

Tom Palin, National Hunt manager for owners Middleham Park Racing, said: “The manner of his victory at Ascot was impressive and it was a bit of surprise he did that on only his second start over fences. It was lovely to see.

“We’ve just started building him up again and we’ll probably try to find something for him at the end of January into early February.

Meanwhile Solo Saxophone, the Frankel colt who made a winning start to life over hurdles at Catterick, is likely to be out again by the end of the month.

The Dan Skelton-trained four-year-old has the Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle in March as his main aim, with experience before then being sought.

His debut win did not come without alarm as he traded at 100-1 in-running before storming home by four lengths.

“He’ll probably be out in late January, the weekend of January 20-21, and at the moment we are looking at the Fred Winter at Cheltenham,” said Richard Ward of owners BGC Racing.

“My gut feeling is that he’ll probably need a bit further in time, but it probably looks a better performance now that it did at the time as the (Brian) Ellison horse (Haulani, third) ran a cracker at Kempton.”

Bryony Frost has won the December Stobart Jockey of the Month prize, following her landmark Grade One win at Kempton on novice chaser Black Corton.

The 22-year-old’s second successive prize, other nominees included Middleham jockey Joe Colliver for his Grade One Long Walk Hurdle win aboard Jedd O’Keeffe’s horse Sam Spinner at Ascot.

“It’s amazing, I can’t explain it. I’m not sure if it’s regular for someone to be even nominated twice in a row, let alone win it,” said Frost.

“It’s a huge feather in my cap to be noticed for what I’m doing and the last few months have been a whirlwind.

“The belief Paul Nicholls has shown in me has been incredible, he keeps on putting me on wonderful horses and giving me the opportunity to ride in the big races. I just seem to keep getting the luck and winning! To win this award again has put a definite bounce in my step that’s for sure.”

Colin Tizzard is hoping for a dry spell so he can give Native River a racecourse gallop ahead of his intended comeback run in the Betfair Denman Chase at Newbury on February 10.

The Dorset trainer reports the eight-year-old to be building nicely for a return to action after being absent since finishing third in the Cheltenham Gold Cup in March.

The Festival blue riband is again the prime objective for a horse who was second in the 2016 West Yorkshire Hurdle at Wetherby before landing Newbury’s Hennessy Gold Cup and the Welsh National at Chepstow.

“He’s been galloping for over two months. He’s fine. We’ll probably still wait for the Denman and give him a racecourse gallop before then, when it dries up a bit,” said Tizzard.

Scottish trainer Lucinda Russell Russell has offered an upbeat bulletin on her Grand National winner One For Arthur, currently on the sidelines with a tendon injury.

The Aintree hero is out for the season but Russell said: “All is going to plan with his recovery,” she said.

“He’s on the walker. He’ll be turned out very soon and we’ve got a water-walker that will help as well.

“He’s coming along nicely.”