Copper Bleu, an impressive winner of the Jewson Novices' Handicap Chase last week, is likely to head for the Punchestown Festival.

Philip Hobbs' eight-year-old left his previous form over fences well behind with a taking success, following up his fine run at the meeting 12 months earlier.

While he does have options at Aintree, Hobbs his picked out the Betfair Novice Handicap Chase in Ireland as his probably destination.

"I think the step up in trip was a help and probably the better ground as well," reflected Hobbs.

"He found the form he had last year with the top novices and I think he is probably a spring horse.

"A two-and-a-half-mile or three-mile novice chase is possible at Aintree, it just depends which horses take that route.

"Probably the preferred race is on the Friday at Punchestown, they have a two-mile-five limited novice handicap worth 85,000 which will probably be the race we end up in."

Copper Bleu was ridden by Richard Johnson who believes the application of a tongue strap made all the difference.

"I was confident going into the race that he had a great chance," Johnson told At The Races.

"We only found out when he won at Exeter that he had a slight breathing problem and he was a bit disappointing on his first two runs of the season.

"You don't always hear it but we did at Exeter and that is why he wore the tongue strap, which helped.

"They went a very strong gallop and that suited him well.

"He ran well at all three Festivals last year and there is no reason not to go to any of them, it depends how he comes out of the race."