Chasing campaign planned for Barters Hill Ben Pauling is excited at the prospect of running Barters Hill over fences next season. The six-year-old has been one of the best staying novice hurdlers of the campaign and lost nothing in defeat when fourth to Unowhatimeanharry in the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle - even though his trainer felt his stable star did not give his true running at Cheltenham. "He's going to go chasing next season," said Pauling. "I've always thought this horse was a chaser, so we're very much looking to going over fences and I'll drop him back in trip to two and a half for his first couple of runs." Pauling is convinced Barters Hill, who had won all his previous seven races, did not run up to his best at the Festival. The long-time ante-post favourite for the Albert Bartlett was the subject of a scare two days before the race after he pulled out stiff. "He had a proper test at Doncaster and at Cheltenham as well. You can't keep going back to the well," the Gloucestershire trainer said. "I'm not completely ruling Punchestown out, but I wouldn't get excited about seeing him there. "We've got a bit of time, so we'll just see how he is."
