Punchestown option for Coeur Blimey

Trainer Sue Gardner has Punchestown at the back of her mind for exciting prospect Coeur Blimey

Runner-up on his debut at Uttoxeter last March, the five-year-old stepped up to Listed class on his reappearance at Ascot in December and ran out a game winner over Ballyandy

The runner-up is otherwise unbeaten in four starts for Nigel Twiston-Davies, giving the form a very solid look, but the duo will only renew rivalries in the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham if testing conditions prevail.

Gardner said: "We really don't know where we are going at this stage, but he definitely won't go to Cheltenham unless the ground is soft and even if it is, he might not go anyway.

"I'll have a chat with the owners and see what they want to do. The entry stage is March 1, so I'll see if they want to pay the entry fee or not. The Champion Bumper is certainly not the be all and end all. We have a very nice young horse and the last thing we want to do is ruin him.

"Even if they call the ground good to soft at Cheltenham, you know there'll be some quicker parts. You can go there with a nice young horse, but then after running down that hill on quick ground, in the blink of an eye you don't have a nice young horse any more.

"Unless the ground is described as soft, he won't be going."

Coeur Blimey may have been a 16-1 shot for his Ascot comeback, but the victory came as no surprise to his connections.

"Without wanting to sound too clever, he ran as we expected at Ascot," said the Devon-based trainer.

"He ran a nice race at Uttoxeter, but he was a bit green and got a bit lost and we knew he was better than he showed that day. That's why we decided to go to Ascot with him, which is not something I would do unless I knew I had a good horse as we don't get one very often.

"He hasn't had any leg problems, but he does seem to be at his best on soft ground, so that's what we'll be sticking to. If we miss Cheltenham, we might be more likely to get soft ground at Punchestown.

"Whatever happens for the rest of this season, he'll be a better horse next year, I guarantee you that."