Trainer Paul Nicholls sending Cyrname for Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby

It comes after the trainer decided to switch the eight-year-old to the prestigious Grade Two race – with entries due close at lunchtime for a high-class renewal.

The initial plan by Nicholls was to head to Down Royal in Northern Ireland for the Grade One JNwine.com Champion Chase, but travel restrictions caused by the coronavirus pandemic have put paid to that.

Cyrname, the mount of Harry Cobden, became the first horse to defeat Nicky Henderson’s Altior over jumps on his return in a Grade Two at Ascot last November and, in doing so, became the highest-rated chaser in training.

Stepping up in trip to three miles, he was a well-beaten second behind stablemate Clan Des Obeaux in the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day before falling in the Ascot Chase on his final start of the season.

“The horse could go to Northern Ireland, but we couldn’t send any staff over there – (so) we decided to reroute to Wetherby,” said Nicholls.

“It’s three miles on a flat track, and we have got to see if he gets three miles.

“Unlike on his debut last season, we’ve not been able to give him a racecourse gallop because everywhere we were going to go, the ground was too quick.”

Cyrname will be trying three miles again, and also racing left-handed for the first time since his novice days in April 2018. Nicholls said the horse worked well on the gallops on Saturday and added: “We are going there short of having an away day. He has a 6lb penalty there, but we can live with that.

“We’ve got to go somewhere with him, and it will answer a lot of questions – in the trip and going left-handed.

“But I don’t think going left-handed will be an issue any more, because he is a different animal nowadays.”

Meanwhile, Sue Smith’s stable star Midnight Shadow was unplaced in Aintree’s Old Road Chase behind Nuts Well for trainer Ann Hamilton.

In other National Hunt news, Emma Lavelle reports Paisley Park, winner of the 2019 Stayers’ Hurdle at Cheltenham, to be in rude health as he prepares to return to competitive action at Newbury next month.

Lavelle said: “Touch wood, everything has been brilliant since he came back in. I’m really happy with him, and everything seems to be happening the way it should.

Switching codes, Irish challenger Mac Swiney was a tenacious winner of the Vertem Futurity Trophy at Doncaster, the final Group One of the 2020 Flat season.

Jim Bolger’s challenger handled heavy ground conditions best of all in a race in which Dewhurst runner-up Wembley was a significant late withdrawal on account of the going.

The horse was ridden by Kevin Manning who was riding his first Group One winner in Britain since Pleascach won the Yorkshire Oaks in 2015.

“He’s done all his running over seven furlongs, but I always thought the further he went the better he’d be,” said Manning.

The last three winners of this race have won the following year’s 2000 Guineas but Mac Swiney could be more of a Derby hoese.

“I imagine he’ll start off in one of the Guineas, but I think he’s a type that the better the race the better he’ll go, as he can cruise at good gear and he’s probably got more pace than I give him credit for,” added the jockey.

Bolger turns 79 on Christmas Day, but once again has proved he can still come up with the goods on the big days.

The colt is named after the Irish playwright and politician Terence Macswiney, who died 100 years ago on October 25, 1920 in Brixton prison on hunger strike having been placed there charged with sedition.

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