Trainer Philip Hobbs has revealed that ground conditions will determine which route the point-to-point graduate Sporting John takes at next month’s Cheltenham Festival.
Sporting John will either contest the Marsh Novices’ Chase over 2m 4f or step up to three miles for the first time in his career in the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase, after the Minehead handler decided to take him out of the Sporting Life Arkle Novices’ Chase.
The JP McManus-owned six-year-old, who won his four-year-old maiden at Borris House for Matthew Flynn O’Connor in 2019 before being bought by connections for £160,000, finished down the field in last season’s Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle at The Festival but, after finishing third on his debut over fences at Exeter, made his return to Grade 1 company a triumphant one in the Scilly Isles at Sandown Park earlier this month.
Hobbs said: “We’ve taken Sporting John out of the Arkle and he will either now run in the Marsh or what was the RSA. It will all depend on what the ground conditions are like.
“If the ground was very soft you would stick to two and a half in the Marsh but if it wasn’t you would probably look at going further with him.
“It was obviously very pleasing to see him win like he did and warm to the task at Sandown as it shows he is going in the right direction.”
