Big Shu© Photo Healy Racing
A return to the Cheltenham Festival in March is top of the agenda for Big Shu following his pleasing reappearance at Punchestown last weekend.
Peter Maher's stable star claimed Festival glory in the 2013 Glenfarclas Handicap Chase over the cross-country fences, but came up short when defending his crown in March, managing only an honourable third behind Balthazar King.
Big Shu then headed to Aintree for a tilt at the Grand National, but tipped up after just three fences, leaving connections dejected.
The nine-year-old was a hot favourite to make a winning return over the banks at Punchestown on Saturday, and although he had to make do with minor honours, Maher was quite happy with his performance.
Maher said: "If you go through his form, he always improves for his first run. The year he won in Cheltenham he was fourth in a point-to-point on his first run of the season, so I was quite happy with where we are with him at the moment.
"I don't know why everybody was backing him the other day. I knew he'd improve for the run, it turned into a sprint and he just blew up."
The County Kildare-based trainer is confident he can get Big Shu back to Cheltenham in better shape than he was last spring.
"Last year I spent the whole year training him for the National and as a result he went back to Cheltenham a bit short in March," said Maher.
"He ran well in Cheltenham to finish third and I was quite happy, but then when he went to Aintree and it was all over after three fences. I was a bit sick as I was looking back at Cheltenham and thinking I'd let the horse down as he wasn't straight enough.
"This year we'll train him for the Cheltenham race and see what happens after that.
"All going well, the plan would be to have a race before Christmas. He could go for the cross-country in Cheltenham, or he might go to Down Royal for the big hunter chase up there, as he qualifies for hunter chases now.
"Then we'll run him in the banks race at Punchestown in February and then on to Cheltenham. That would be the plan, anyway. We'll see about Aintree after that."
