Mullins eyes Haydock prize with Hedgehunter
Like most horses owned by Trevor Hemmings, the ultimate aim for Hedgehunter will be the Martell Cognac Grand National, although whether this year's race may come too soon in the career of the seven-year-old is yet to be decided.
Hedgehunter showed that he had the required stamina when chasing home Bindaree and Sir Rembrandt in last week's Chepstow mudbath.
And Mullins reports his charge to be none the worse for the gruelling race.
"I thought he ran a very good race and although he was pretty tired at the finish, he is back out in the paddock and seems absolutely fine," the trainer said.
"Understandably, Mr Hemmings prefers his horses to run in Britain if they can so his next race will probably be at Haydock (in the Red Square Vodka Gold Cup), although there is the alternative of the Thyestes Chase.
"Then we will decide which route we take with him for the rest of the season."
Meanwhile Royal Emperor is on course for a step up in class in the Grade Two Cantor Mobile "Dipper" Chase over two and a half miles at Newcastle on Saturday.
Four times a winner over hurdles for Sue Smith, he came desperately close to Cheltenham Festival glory when beaten a short head by Inching Closer in the Pertemps Handicap Hurdle Final.
Mrs Smith's grey began the current campaign when beating all but Gralmano in the Grade Two John Smith's Hurdle at Wetherby, and then made his eagerly awaited debut over fences at Kelso.
Long odds-on, he outclassed the opposition in a 23-furlong event, and Mrs Smith said: "We were delighted with him at Kelso, he jumped well and he is a sensible horse who does not take any risks.
"He will be dropping back in trip at Newcastle, but I think that is the same for most of those and it is a nice race to go for but we would not want to run him on fast ground."
The Bingley trainer continued: "We have had a lot of frost, but we have a big indoor school which we can go round and round to our heart's content. Royal Emperor is not difficult to keep fit anyway, he galloped on Saturday and I am happy with him."
Looking further ahead, the Royal & SunAlliance Chase at the Cheltenham Festival could be on the agenda, but Mrs Smith warned: "They have got to get the ground right there.
"They have all the big prize money but the ground is always fast, there are no two ways about it, and there is another nice three-mile chase at Aintree."
Royal Emperor is a 14-1 chance with Ladbrokes for the Royal & SunAlliance Chase.
Lenny Lungo is also leaning towards a crack at the Newcastle race with Full Irish, even though the eight-year-old holds an entry at Ayr the previous day.
Winner of two bumpers and four races over hurdles, Full Irish made his bow over fences at Hexham two weeks ago.
He won as he pleased in a two-mile novice event in which Saturday's Wetherby winner Mister McGoldrick was 10 lengths away in third.
"The Newcastle race is worth six times as much as the one at Ayr and I think we will have a crack at the "Dipper"," Lungo said yesterday.
"I know it might be a big ask for a horse which has had only one run over fences but he has done a lot of schooling at home and he jumped very well first time at Hexham.
"I wouldn't be keen to run him on heavy ground though, he is not very big but he has a gear and on that sort of ground he might not be able to bring it into play."
The Carrutherstown trainer, meanwhile, was delighted with the performance of Skippers Cleuch at Wetherby on Saturday as he gave Grand National hope Gunner Welburn a run for his money in the Rowland Meyrick Chase.
However, Skippers Cleuch will not be renewing rivalry with Gunner Welburn at Aintree.
"We do not think of him as a four-mile National horse," Lungo said.
"I don't know how he will be rated now, and I don't know what we will do with him, but if he was in the kind of form he showed at Wetherby later on we might pick out one of the handicaps at Cheltenham and have a look nearer the time."
Skippers Cleuch has recovered from a life-threatening injury, and Lungo added: "It is fantastic to see him back and we are very proud of him.
"He had a loose piece of bone which was pressing on a vertebrae and he was losing the use of his hind end and we were worried that we would have to put him down.
"So the main thing is that he has come of the Wetherby race all right and really we will just take it one day at a time with him."
Despite the current cold snap, Lungo has been able to keep his team on the move. "We have a marvellous all-weather gallop and all the latest equipment to break up the top if there is any frost around and we have been doing slow canters and we also have a lovely indoor arena," he said.
