Extensio heading back over hurdles after York success

Popular York winner Extensio could revert to hurdles on his next start after Pat O’Donnell ruled out a tilt at the Cesarewitch at Newmarket.

The seven-year-old sparked wild scenes of celebration on the Knavesmire last week after landing a valuable staying handicap on the opening day of the Ebor Festival for his small-time Irish trainer.

O’Donnell nominated Royal Ascot next summer as his dream target in the immediate aftermath, but Extensio did win on his only previous outing over obstacles at Roscommon in August and a return to the jumping game is now under consideration.

“It’s taken us a week to come back down to earth, but we’re back to normal now thank God,” said the Limerick-based trainer.

“He’s come out of it well, but I’m not going to go to the English Cesarewitch. I didn’t have to think about it too much really, I had a good chat with Joey (Sheridan, jockey) yesterday and we’re going to stick to the original plan of working back from Royal Ascot.

“There’s a winner’s hurdle at Listowel at the end of next month and that’s the way I’m thinking. I just feel if he got into a slog in the Cesarewitch with the likes of the Emmet Mullins horse that won it last year (The Shunter), those dyed in the wool stayers, I just wouldn’t like to do that with him yet.

“The funny thing is, if we’d just been placed in York, we might have gone on to Newmarket and I may even have let my daughter ride him and we could pick up some prize-money, but he won with such authority at York I just think we’re into a different league now and I want to mind him a bit more.”

While keen to see how his stable star performs on his next start before making any definite plans, O’Donnell admits the thought of running at the Cheltenham Festival has crossed his mind.

He added: “At the moment I’m thinking we’ll just slip in the odd run. He hasn’t got a handicap mark over hurdles as I haven’t entered him in a handicap hurdle yet, so we’ll see how he runs next time.

“Of course Cheltenham would be in our thinking. It did Absurde and Henry de Bromhead’s filly who won the Ebor (Magical Zoe) no harm, so you’d never rule it out and Cheltenham comes up lively enough these days, so it is a consideration.

“We’ll see how it goes and play it by ear. Listowel is an important meeting to the people in the south part of Ireland, but we’ll do the best by the horse.”