Cheltenham News: Bob Olinger swerving Dublin and heading straight for Turners

The seven-year-old landed the Ballymore Novices' Hurdle last year at jumps HQ and is so far unbeaten in two starts over fences.

The latest win came in a Grade 3 at Punchestown earlier this month, after which the big Leopardstown meeting in Ireland was mentioned as a possibility before Cheltenham.

But De Bromhead told The Irish Times: "It's nothing to do with ground, it's just timing. He's unlikely now to be honest (to go to Leopardstown). He'll go straight to Cheltenham and it's highly likely to be the Marsh (Turners Novices' Chase)."

On the general form of his yard, the County Waterford trainer added: "I wouldn't say we're all guns blazing but I also think a lot of it is we just haven't got the bounce of the ball.

"We're obviously not on full cylinders. But with a good few of them I just felt we weren't getting the bounce of the ball. We could have had four other winners at Christmas, three of them on the last day.

"And if A Plus Tard had won the Savills we'd be told we were having a brilliant Christmas."

Bob Olinger could face the highly rated Galopin Des Champs with Willie Mullins' chaser entered for the Turners but that rival could be sent to the Brown Advisory in March instead.