Punchestown option for Cyrname

Paul Nicholls has confirmed Britain’s highest-rated chaser Cyrname will not be supplemented for the Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.

After demolishing his rivals by 17 lengths in a Grade One contest at Ascot earlier this month, the seven-year-old was raised to a mark of 178 — three pounds higher than the mighty Altior.

Although some firms had Cyrname priced up for the extended two-and-a-half-mile contest at the Festival, the Ditcheat trainer will bypass it in favour of either a trip to Sandown or Punchestown later in the season.

He said: “He is just an enormous improver — and a bit like Clan (Des Obeaux), he has needed time to grow into his frame. He is all class.

“My dilimma is where I go with him. He definitely won’t be running at Cheltenham or Aintree this season, but we will go left-handed in the future.

“For now, we will stick to going right-handed, and he will either go to Sandown or Punchestown — ground permitting. Next season, he will be trained for the King George and Gold Cup.”

Politologue, who finished fourth behind Cyrname last time out, will also miss the Festival — with the John Hales-owned eight-year-old instead heading straight to Aintree for the defence of his Melling Chase crown.

Nicholls said: “Politologue is going to Aintree. To be fair, John was disappointed — but if you take the winner out and use Politologue as the marker for that race, they have all run normal races.

“He is better off going to Aintree, because he is better there. I said to John ‘let everyone get involved at Cheltenham and keep him fresh for Aintree’.”