Ferguson keen to test James Ian Ferguson is keen to see what he has on his hands as he plans to take a step up in grade with his dual point-to-point and recent Downpatrick hunter chase scorer James. Ferguson has identified the Raymond Smith Memorial Hunters Chase at Leopardstown on February 9 as a possible port of call. The County Antrim trainer said: "We gave him a bit of a break after Downpatrick and I'd suppose we'll have to go and dip our toe in the water, maybe at Leoparstown, to see where we stand with those better horses. "I'm not going down thinking I'm going to beat those fellas, but we have to find out where we stand. "He has done what's he's done up to now quite convincingly and he seems to be progressing. He lacks a bit of experience but he has come out of Downpatrick really well and as I said, we'll go and dip our toe in and see what happens. "He does things like a proper horse, but he's never really been tested. He's never been in a battle, but he seems a fair sort of a horse - the type that deserves to go up in grade a little bit and as I've said to the owners, we'll know more after Leopardstown. "In his first season I'd be happy if he could run well there. "There are good contests then - the Horse And Hound Cup (Champion Hunters' Chase at Stratford) that I won with Joe Blake one time and the John Corbett (Champion Novices' Hunters' Chase) that I was placed in before at Stratford. I'd be thinking that way as an end-of-season target. "The John Corbett is for first-season horses and that could suit him well."
