Hewick heads to Sandown after bypassing Punchestown Gold Cup

Hewick will sidestep the Ladbrokes Punchestown Gold Cup in favour of a return to Sandown on Saturday.

Shark Hanlon’s stable star won the bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown 12 months ago before going on to claim further big-race victories in the Galway Plate and the American Grand National.

Connections decided against a tilt at the Grand National at Aintree after the eight-year-old suffered a heavy fall two fences from home in the Cheltenham Gold Cup last month, instead electing to keep their powder dry for a late-April outing.

Hewick was declared to renew rivalry with the first and second from the Gold Cup in Galopin Des Champs and Bravemansgame at Punchestown, but Hanlon voiced concerns about conditions in County Kildare earlier this week and on Wednesday morning confirmed he will now instead head to Sandown.

“I walked the track (at Punchestown) this morning and the ground is very gluey,” said the trainer.

“I know the horse wants good ground and there’s no point pulling the tail end out of him for the whole year. If the ground was good I wouldn’t mind taking on Galopin Des Champs and Bravemansgame, but just on soft ground I don’t think I’d have any chance of beating them, so we’ll head to Sandown with him.”

Hewick will have to carry the welter burden of 12 stone if he is to bid for back-to-back wins in the bet365 Gold Cup – and while no final decision has been made, Hanlon admits the Grade Two bet365 Oaksey Chase on the same card may be a more attractive proposition.

He added: “I have to talk to the owner about it, but we have to give away a lot of weight in the bet365 and the other race looks very winnable.

“I’ll see what the owner says. I spoke to him this morning and just said I thought we should take him out of Punchestown, he’s very good and lets me do what I think is right.

“He’s nearly a stone well-in with a lot of horses in the Grade Two, so we’ll see.”