Ian Hamilton admits he is in a quandary over where to run Tommy’s Oscar after he chased home Banbridge in the Arkle Challenge Trophy Trial at Cheltenham on Saturday.
The seven-year-old won three handicap hurdles in succession last season and then took the Grade Two Unibet Hurdle at Haydock in January.
Though subsequently well held by Honeysuckle in the Champion Hurdle, he opened his account over fences with a debut success at Carlisle last month.
And after he was far from disgraced on his second try over the bigger obstacles, Hamilton is in two minds about whether he should go back over hurdles or stay novice chasing for his next start.
The Northumberland farmer, whose wife Ann's name is on the training licence, said: "I think he should go for the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle, but everyone is disagreeing with me.
"It is only two weeks away. That is what I fancy doing, but my jockey's agent and my wife are talking about Sandown and the Henry VIII Novices' Chase.
"It is the right way round for him, but like Cheltenham that is not just round the corner either for an old codger like me to drive all that way down there. It is 300 miles or more.
"We'll have to see how he is. He hasn't eaten much since he came home, but that is quite normal – he will be all right in a day or two."
The family also own the horse, who is the stable's flag bearer following the retirement of Nuts Well, who won the 2020 Old Roan Chase for them.
Yet Hamilton admits he is no nearer to knowing if he will make up into an Arkle contender or not and is keen to keep his immediate options open.
He added: "Newcastle is just half an hour from here. The Fighting Fifth often cuts up and you can finish second or third and pick up more prize-money than winning the Henry VIII at Sandown.
"There is another option as well, if it didn't rain too much.
"They are putting on a graduation chase on at Carlisle, which is the day after the Fighting Fifth. That is a possibility, but I wouldn't want to run him on heavy ground, which it is forecast to be.
"Newcastle needs rain badly. It is on the firm side. Ann said, 'I agree with (jockeys' agent) Richard Hale and we should go to Sandown'. I said, 'You'd better get a bloody driver, then!'.
"To go to Cheltenham, we set off at quarter to three in the morning. You cannot travel on a Friday – it is manic. If we go to Sandown, we will have to go about the same time.
"But the Fighting Fifth is just two weeks away. We will look at the declarations for the Fighting Fifth. We will leave it until the last minute and if there are half a dozen, we will probably declare him.
"We'll see how he is and look at the options."
