Massini nearing fences bow

Tell Massini, one of last season’s top novice hurdlers, will make his debut over fences in the near future.

Tom George’s six-year-old was sent off the 100-30 favourite for the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival but was eventually pulled up.

The trainer blames himself for that reverse, believing he left too big a gap between his previous race, when he had looked so impressive at Prestbury Park in December.

Already a point-to-point winner, Tell Massini would appear to have all the attributes to make a high-class chaser – but George will not risk him on quick ground.

“Tell Massini has been entered at Worcester next week in a novice chase and he’ll be getting an entry at Chepstow next weekend as well,” said George.

“It’s got to rain before he runs, he won’t run unless it’s good to soft basically.

“He was a sick horse after Cheltenham. It was a combination of factors but he was wrong in himself, his blood was wrong and he had a very long gap between races – he boiled over and it just didn’t happen for him.”