Ruth Jefferson will look to test the unbeaten Country Code at Grade Two level before committing him to the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in March.
The six-year-old won on his rules debut for North Yorkshire-based Jefferson over two and a half miles at Newcastle in November and then stepped up to two and three-quarter miles at Kelso, galloping home five and a half lengths clear it make it two from two.
Engagements at Doncaster and Haydock will now be considered to assess just what the Norton handler has on her hands ahead of a possible trip to Prestbury Park in March.
Jefferson said: “He won nicely (at Kelso). He had a penalty and the step up in trip helped him. It’s a novice hurdle, only time will tell how good they end up. There were a couple of horses that had won in there and they didn’t run as well as him did they?
“He seems to be going the right way. He has taken to hurdling and his jumping has improved too, from his first run to his second one. He was getting quicker and more fluent at his hurdles which is always something you like to see.
“He’ll be a three-miler. We weren’t originally going to run him back at two and a half this season when he won at Newcastle.
“I took him to Kelso (in early November) and the ground was just a little bit too quick, that’s the only downside to him really – he definitely wants a bit of cut in the ground.
“He wouldn’t be as versatile as some, but it was just a bit quick so we took him to Newcastle and he almost got caught out a little bit. But he showed a really good attitude to win and the step up in trip really looked like it suited him.
“There’s three Grade Two novice hurdles, the River Don (at Doncaster), the Albert Bartlett (trial, Ais Novices’ Hurdle) at Cheltenham and then the one at Haydock (Prestige Novices’ Hurdle).
“He’ll get an Albert Bartlett entry then he’ll run in one of those Grade Twos and if he shows enough in one of those Grade Twos, we’ll keep him in the Albert Bartlett and we’ll see what the ground is like nearer the time. The Albert Bartlett entries close before you have a chance to see how good he is.
“I’ll play it by ear, but if we had a really dry spring, we’d have to put him away for next year anyway.”