Rebel earns break Rebel Fitz is having a well-deserved break following a busy second half to the year that saw him finish in the first two in all six starts over hurdles. Trainer Michael Winters felt the time was right to give the six-year-old a holiday after he was second behind Mount Benbulben in a Grade Two contest at Navan on Sunday. "He's come out of the race very well but the owners were a bit anxious he's had too much hard racing this year, so we'll take it easy with him over Christmas and maybe look at February or March at running him again," said the County Cork handler. "We don't want to bottom him out. He's improving away, but this year has taken a lot out of him. "It was a shame he had to make the running the last day when Just For Joe didn't run, he probably would have gone on. "It's hard to find races for him at this stage, novice hurdles and winners of one. "From mid-February on there's the option of a race every couple of weeks but we've not picked out a particular one yet. "We'll probably go two and half miles or more with him and we'll be confined with the ground as well." Winters has already virtually ruled out a trip to the Cheltenham Festival for Rebel Fitz, but would consider the big meeting in 2013 when the gelding is likely to be campaigning over fences. "I don't think we'll take him to Cheltenham this time because it might take too much out of him with the travelling and everything else. We might think of going there the following year," he said. "He's already had a pop over a point-to-point fence at home before he went hurdling. We might start him off over fences next autumn at Listowel."
