Cornerstone set for Cheltenham outing

Trainer Micky Hammond has revealed Cornerstone Lad will head to the Cheltenham Festival if the “ground is soft enough”.

Cornerstone Lad enjoyed a fantastic end to 2019, picking up victories at Catterick, Wetherby and Newcastle, and connections were feeling positive heading into 2020.

The Mrs B M Lofthouse-owned charge produced a solid effort when finishing third on his latest outing at Haydock Park – beaten less than a length and conceding weight to both the winner Ballyandy and runner-up Pentland Hills.

Hammond has now revealed the plan is for the six-year-old to head to Prestbury Park in March for the Champion Hurdle, providing conditions are deemed suitable.

“He’s taken his race well, and we were delighted with him on the day. I thought it was a good performance, giving away weight to two really good horses,” he was quoted as saying by Sky Sports.

“If the ground is soft enough we’ll go to Cheltenham. There aren’t many other options, to be fair. We’ll probably go chasing with him next season, which will be something to look forward to.”