Stuart Edmunds is considering swerving an outing at the Cheltenham Festival with Miami Magic in favour of sending him straight to Aintree.
The son of Leading Light, who is owned by bookmaker Dan Hague, is currently as short as 12/1 for the Grade Two Jack Richards Novices’ Handicap Chase at the Festival on March 12.
However, after finishing third on his return to Grade One company in the Virgin Bet Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase at Sandown Park, which was his fourth run over fences, it now means he is also eligible to contest the TrustATrade Plate Handicap Chase at the same meeting.
But Edmunds has warned that he might bypass both those races with the seven-year-old Miami Magic and instead step him up in trip to three miles and one furlong for the first time under rules for a tilt at the Grade One Mildmay Novices’ Chase at the Merseyside venue instead.
Edmunds said: "I was very pleased with his run in the Scilly Isles. We will see whether we go to Cheltenham as that was a hard enough race for him, but I think we have got time.
“We would be on a decent mark at Cheltenham, and better ground would suit him, but he has coped with that ground at Sandown.
“I would really like to go to Aintree for the three mile (and one furlong) novice chase there so we may skip Cheltenham and look at that.
“I’m not ruling out Cheltenham yet though. There are four weeks between Cheltenham and Aintree so you could do both of them, but we will see how he comes out of it over the next few days."
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