Tom Lacey will send Montemares up to Scotland on his next start in a bid to get his career back on track for a tilt at the bet365 Premier Novices’ Hurdle at Kelso.
Having surrendered his unbeaten record when finishing fourth in the Grade One Challow Novices’ Hurdle at Newbury last month, the five-year-old will now drop down in both class, and trip, for a crack at the Grade Two test on February 28.
And Lacey believes the £80,000 two and a quarter mile test will prove the ideal port of call for the Frontiersman gelding, who prior to his latest defeat claimed wins at Hereford and Market Rasen.
Lacey said: “He was entered at Cheltenham for about twenty minutes, but I decided to pull him out as I thought it would be the wrong thing to do.
“He has had three relatively quick runs and he will now go to Kelso for the Premier Novices’ Hurdle.
“I want to drop him back from two and a half miles as I don’t think he truly stayed the Challow trip.
“We started him just under two and a half miles purely because the race was framed to suit him. Thankfully it was that trip as he didn’t know what to do.
“It was like he had never seen a hurdle before and he didn’t know how to put one foot in front of the other.
“We then took him to Market Rasen, and he won fairly well, but he is not short of boot. He looks like he wants to come back in trip now he has learnt to race. I think this race is right up his street.”
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With Montemares not holding any Cheltenham Festival entries Lacey admits he could look at spring targets at Aintree or Punchestown following his next start.
He added: “If all goes well we would probably look at Aintree afterwards. We would have to see how we get on at Kelso first before deciding what trip to go there, but that is the million dollar question.
"There is also Punchestown as well so we will see how Kelso goes first.”
A return to Sandown Park appears on the cards for Stayers’ Veterans’ Chase final winner Nocte Volatus with Lacey earmarking the Virgin Bet Masters Handicap Chase on Saturday week for the evergreen 11-year-old.
He added: “He is in at Sandown Park next weekend. There is also a veterans race at Exeter, but I would be having a good look at Sandown Park given he is a course and distance winner.
“He is in great nick and he doesn’t know that he is eleven. His constitution for it is remarkable. He is on a career high mark achieving more than he has ever achieved at the age of eleven which is remarkable.
“There has been a lot of these types of races of late so it could cut up so we will see what is what.”
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