Bygones to swerve MCR Hurdle

Bygones Of Brid will skip an engagement in the MCR Hurdle at Leopardstown this weekend and instead head for the Lanzarote Hurdle at Kempton on January 15.

The eight-year-old would have been forced to carry top weight in the Irish contest, conceding upwards of 6lb to all of his rivals, a task trainer Karen McLintock was not keen on undertaking.

Instead, the Fighting Fifth fourth will more than likely head for the Lanzarote Hurdle having had a pipe-opener on the all-weather in a bumper at Southwell last week.

“I scratched him from the Irish race, I thought he would have had a lower handicap mark,” said McLintock.

“I’m thinking about the Lanzarote now for him as it would have been too tough for him giving all that weight away.

“He would have loved the soft ground, that’s why I entered him.

“He ran really well at Newbury, especially because it is a flat track and the ground wasn’t soft, but he could have done with a wee bit further.

“I was very pleased with his run and he’s very well at home but we’re just not getting anywhere with him.”