Ballyrock in frame for Cheltenham trial

Ballyrock could put his Festival credentials on the line at Cheltenham on Saturday week.

Tim Vaughan’s representative finished second to Fingal Bay in the Challow Hurdle at Newbury on New Year’s Eve, and could next contest the Neptune Investment Management Novices’ Hurdle over an extended two and a half miles.

Connection of the six-year-old will be hoping to follow a similar path to Bobs Worth, who won the race last season before going on to Festival glory in the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle.

Vaughan said: “He’s been like a lion since his last run, and we are going to try and get one more run into him, either at Cheltenham next week or at Haydock the week after, to put him spot-on for the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle at The Festival.

“I couldn’t have been happier with his last run. He had a long lay-off with us through one niggle after the other, and obviously after getting him back to win at Hereford I was confident of a much-improved run in the Challow.

“I am still fairly confident he is massively improving, and if we can get another good run into him next time it should put us in with a sporting chance come Cheltenham in March.

“He’s right up there with the best of our novice hurdlers – well he is our best novice hurdler.

“He already wants three miles and a fence in front of him, and I’m hoping in time he will be a proper three-mile chaser.”