The Cleeve Hurdle and the Grand National are among the potential targets for Flooring Porter following his impressive performance in the Kerry National.
Gavin Cromwell’s two-time Stayers’ Hurdle champion secured his most significant victory over fences to date in last week’s Listowel feature, decisively leading from the front to leave his rivals behind.
With an eye on the world’s most famous steeplechase at Aintree in April, Cromwell may also opt to return his stable star to hurdles in the interim, eyeing the Cleeve Hurdle at Cheltenham in January as a possible goal.
The timing and location of Flooring Porter’s next race remain uncertain, as his trainer is keen to explore all available options before finalising plans.
"He’s come out of it well, and it was fantastic to see him perform like that. Winning that race was wonderful," Cromwell said. "While it’s easy to make plans, executing them can be challenging."
"We’ll consider the Cleeve Hurdle and possibly the Grand National after that. I haven’t done much further thinking or made any solid plans, so that’s our current situation."
"There’s still plenty of time before the Cleeve Hurdle, and if we can find a race for him before then, that would be ideal. We’ll review the calendar in both Ireland and England to see what options we have."
"After his win, he’s gone up a stone, bringing him to a rating of 163. He’ll be carrying a lot of weight in the National already, so it’s tricky to decide whether to risk increasing that weight by running well in another big race."
"At this stage, we’re in bonus territory, and we’ve been in it for a while!"