Dave's Dream Cheltenham hopes in limbo

Dave’s Dream’s participation in the Vincent O’Brien County Hurdle remains in the balance, with trainer Nicky Henderson content to mull over plans for Saturday’s Paddy Power Imperial Cup winner.

The lightly-raced six-year-old slaughtered a high-class field at Sandown Park under Barry Geraghty to put himself in line for a £75,000 bonus, should he follow up at Cheltenham on Friday.

Ladbrokes make the seven-length winner their 5-1 favourite for the County Hurdle, but Henderson is torn between running for the bonus and preserving the horse’s long-term future.

The master of Seven Barrows said: “He was very fresh and well this morning, and is inviting me to do something that I wouldn’t normally.

“Barry said he didn’t have hard race and he was so well this morning.

“I am very tempted to run him as the bonus is very good. It is a very generous £75,000, which is a lot of money, and it makes it a £150,000 race for us.

“I do like these bonuses but I don’t see this horse as a handicap hurdler – he is a chaser so the bonus is setting me a dilemma.

“I will have to sit and have a think about whether to run.

“The race isn’t until Friday so there is plenty of time to make a decision.”