Eileendover looks set to skip Cheltenham and head To Aintree

The Pam Sly trained Eileendover is looking more than likely to skip the Cheltenham festival in March and instead head to the Grand National meeting at Entry to take part in the Grade Two Mares' Bumper.

The mare has been exceptional so far in her career landing all three of her bumper events, getting better with each run and on Saturday beat a decent field in a Listed event by a decent distance.

After this win it was thought she would head to the Champion Bumper at the Cheltenham festival and was smashed into 8/1 from 20/1 before that race, but it now looks as though Sly will take her down a different route.

The female handler is looking to send her mare to the Grand National meeting and after that send her over the flat with the Ebor looking a possible target for the classy mare.

(Credit ATR) Pam Sly said:“She’s fine and out in the field, not a bother.

“I was surprised how well she won given the (heavy) ground, really. She’s not bad.“I know she was getting the weight, but I don’t think it would have made a difference. She’s not even four until March.

“I was already thinking of the Flat for her before this – I only ran her in her first bumper because I ran out of time on the grass, but we didn’t know she was this good.“That might sound ridiculous, but I don’t gallop mine a lot at home – she just worked with the other jumpers, and I thought she’d be OK to have a run round.

“I think the Aintree mares’ bumper is the ideal race for her – I’m not over-keen on the Cheltenham one, especially with a four-year-old filly. I think that race can knock them off their perch, and they have a job to come back from it.

“With Aintree, I can let her off for a whole month now and bring her back in the middle of February.

“After that, I don’t know whether I’d go for a handicap or even a Listed or a Group Three. I might be flying my kite a bit high, but you just don’t know until she is beaten.”