Jedd O'Keeffe says Sam Spinner will revert back to hurdles after he was pulled up during the Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby on Saturday.
The eight-year-old was making his first appearance since damaging his pelvis while recording his third-straight victory over fences at Doncaster last December.
However, us online casinos top tipster reckons, the Caron & Paul Chapman-owned gelding was not his usual self at Wetherby and jockey Joe Colliver opted to pull him from the race before the seventh fence.
O'Keeffe certainly feels that was the right decision, with the trainer confirming that he plans to return his stable star to hurdles for the time being so that he can rebuild his confidence.
“Joe was just worried about him,” O'Keeffe confirmed to Racing TV. “He said the horse didn't feel his usual self and wasn't attacking his obstacles. He was worried if he pushed him too hard, something was going to go wrong. “I'm very glad he acted cautiously.
“We think rather than it being a physical thing, we think it was probably more of a mental thing and his injury might have taken its toll in that respect.
“Assuming he's OK in a couple of weeks, we'll school him again and I think we're going to have to switch back to hurdles for the time being and try to restore that confidence.”
Given Sam Spinner's pedigree, O'Keeffe will have no choice but to enter him at a high level over the smaller obstacles, with the Ladbrokes' sites de jeux en ligne Long Distance Hurdle at Newbury on November 27 looking the most likely target.
“It's going to be a difficult task because he can't drop into any old race. It's going to be a tough race he goes into ? the Long Distance Hurdle at Newbury, probably,” the Leyburn trainer added.
