Arbuthnot reveals Topolski targets

Topolski is pencilled in for a warm-up run on the level before chasing handicap hurdle glory later in the autumn.

The five-year-old capped a fantastic novice campaign for trainer David Arbuthnot with a Grade Two victory at Aintree, extending his unbeaten run over obstacles to three.

Topolski had enjoyed a spin at Newmarket before starting his hurdles season last term and Arbuthnot has a similar plan in mind this year.

The Dorking trainer is hoping that run will tee up Topolski for a crack at either the Greatwood Hurdle on November 13 or The Ladbroke at Ascot in December.

“There’s a race at Newmarket on October 1 and I would like to give him a run in that,” he said.

“He’s rated 150 so handicaps are still an option so we will probably look at something like the Greatwood or the Ladbroke at Ascot for him or there is a race at Wincanton.

“If he were to win one of them, you would have to start looking at better options for him, like a Graded race.

“He was a Grade Two winner at Aintree but winning in novice company is not the same so we will see how we go.

“The plan looks like being a flat run and then one of those options.”

Arbuthnot also has handicap aspirations with Shuil Royale, winner of two bumpers and a hurdle in four starts last year.

“He’s very well and we will stick to hurdling with him this year,” he added.

“He’s rated 120 which I think is fair so we will take the handicap route with him.

“He’s only had four runs over hurdles and won two of them so he’s still pretty inexperienced and I think he would be better staying hurdling for now.

“Obviously if we felt he wasn’t going well over hurdles, we could look to chasing in mid season but we will see how we go.

“There’s a couple of races at Cheltenham that we could have a look at – one of them is a 0-145 which would seem like a good place to start.”