Festival heroine Indefatigable in line for weekend Cheltenham return

Stablemate House Island more likely to go to Doncaster for his engagement.

Indefatigable is on course to return to the scene of her finest hour with an outing in the Close Brothers’ Mares’ Handicap Hurdle at Cheltenham on Saturday.

The seven-year-old gave her trainer Paul Webber his first Festival winner when coming late to claim the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle over two and a half miles in March.

She tried three miles for the first time at Kempton last month when third in a Listed contest behind Bannixtown Glory. In hindsight, Webber wished their tactics had been more positive.

“It’s more than likely she’ll go to Cheltenham,” said the Banbury handler.

“She’s got a lot of weight, but there’s nothing else for her at the moment and she always runs well there so I think that is probably the best place to go.

“She ran fine at Kempton. We probably didn’t make enough use of her. It turned into a sprint.

“Because it was her first time over three miles we were probably a bit tentative and she ended up not having a hard race.”

Webber has stablemate House Island entered in the Jockey Club Cheltenham SW Syndicate Novices’ Chase on Saturday, but is leaning towards sending the horse to Doncaster on the same afternoon.

The bet365 December Novices’ Chase is over three miles, compared to an extended two and a half miles at Cheltenham, but Webber has no concerns about the longer distance.

“He’s more likely to go to Doncaster than Cheltenham, I think at the moment,” said Webber.

“There are quite a few of them in both races, but I think Doncaster might be where we go.

“He ran well over further as a hurdler so hopefully he’s about ready for it now.”

House Island got off the mark over fences at the second attempt at Ludlow last month.

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Cheltenham Paul Webber

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