Snow Leopardess© Photo Healy Racing
Charlie Longsdon's Snow Leopardess has Cheltenham and Haydock options after her pleasing cross country debut.
The mare gained herself plenty of fans last season when claiming three successive victories that included the Becher Chase at Aintree and the Virgin Bet Mares' Chase at Exeter.
Heading into the Grand National as a 10-1 chance as a result, Snow Leopardess was pulled up in the big race and then struggled hit last season's form when starting out this term.
Longsdon decided to give the grey a run over Cheltenham's cross country track to see if that could bring about an improvement and the 11-year-old seemed to take to the task well last Saturday.
Leading into the final bend after a solid round of jumping, Snow Leopardess faded slightly up the hill to finish an eventual sixth but still impressed enough to gain herself an entry for the Cheltenham Festival version of the race.
"I was delighted with her run at Cheltenham. It was her first time over those fences and she was a bit slow over a couple and looked at a few but she did seem to love it," Longsdon said.
"She had a great time I think. If you rode her round again, you'd probably try to press on a bit more because that's the way she likes to win her races, but for her first time over the fences, I couldn't have been happier.
"She is in the Grand National Trial at Haydock and we will enter her for the cross country race at the Cheltenham Festival - we'll see."
