Willie Mullins admits that Majborough will need to brush up on his jumping if he's to compete at the highest level over two miles this season.
The champion trainer was speaking to Racing TV after watching his odds-on favourite box on bravely to be second behind Found A Fifty in Sunday's BAR 1 Betting Hilly Way Chase at Cork.
He pointed to the lack of a recent run as a possible reason for Majborough's rustiness first time back, with the Gordon Elliott-trained winner fighting fit after a couple of outings earlier in the campaign.
Mullins said of the JP McManus-owned Majborough, who was third in the Arkle at Cheltenham and ended last season with a Grade 1 win over two miles at the Punchestown Festival: "I was disappointed that he made mistakes down the back stretch.
"It's his first run... the winner I think had had two runs. And giving the winner 4lb so there's plenty of hope there yet.
"He seems to have lost his confidence, I don't know whether more schooling could do it or maybe out in trip, although I think we're stay where we are (two miles) for the time being.
"We will see, I think this (the first run back) will be a big help for him too. But definitely there's question marks there over his jumping."
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The race also featured Mullins-trained 11-year-old Energumene, a multiple Grade 1 winner in his pomp.
He stayed on to be third and the trainer took encouragement from his first outing of the season.
Mullins said: "He's won this (Hilly Way) three times, he's probably just getting on. He probably needs an extra half-mile now at this stage of his career, and maybe even down a division. I'm not sure he's going to be competitive even over two and a half in Grade 1s. He might have to come down to Grade 2s.
"But we'll see, it was both the horses' first runs so they're going to improve I think."
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