The 2022 Grand National hero Noble Yeats could take in the Stayers’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival en route to Aintree.
Whilst the Emmet Mullins-trained gelding was unable to defend his crown in 2023, he produced a good performance to finish fourth behind Corach Rambler, having also stayed on well to fill the same position in the Cheltenham Gold Cup a month earlier.
He returned after a 220-day break with a solid second in the Party Time Hurdle at Limerick on 27 December and Mullins has been plotting a route back to Aintree.
"It was a very good first run of the season," he said.
"I don't think he really likes that very heavy going as it was at Limerick, but we had to start somewhere and hopefully we'll get some better ground later in the year."
Noble Yeats out-ran all expectations when fourth in last year's Gold Cup behind fellow Irish-trained Galopin Des Champs and connections are reluctant to take in the season showpiece again.
"We're going to enter for the Stayers' Hurdle – if you don't enter you can't decide whether to go for it when the time comes," Mullins added.
"His main target for the year is still the Grand National. The Gold Cup is a tough race and the Grand National is a tough race and I think winning both in the same year is nigh on impossible.
"He was fourth in both last year, which was a fantastic performance, but I'd be more excited about winning one than being fourth in two!
"I don't think he's going to win a Gold Cup. He's a 166-rated horse, the average Gold Cup winner is probably 175 and the very good ones might be closer to 180.
"We might put him in the Cleeve Hurdle, or if you want a chase where you require a lot of stamina you could look at the Cotswold Chase, in which he finished third last season.
"Let's wait and see, but everything is being geared towards getting to the Grand National in first-class order to give ourselves the best possible chance."
