ALTIOR will sidestep the JLT Melling Chase at Aintree on Friday and instead defend his crown in the bet365 Celebration Chase at Sandown, trainer Nicky Henderson has announced.

The brilliant eight-year-old extended his unbeaten record over fences to eight in the Queen Mother Champion Chase at last month's Cheltenham Festival and Henderson admitted to being tempted by the prospect of testing his stable star over two and a half miles for the first time in his career on Merseyside.

However, the Seven Barrows handler has decided to err on the side of caution and Altior will round off his campaign on the final day of the season at Sandown on April 28th.

Henderson told Unibet: "We have decided that Altior will not run at Aintree in the Melling Chase on Friday and will instead head to Sandown for the Celebration Chase, which he won last year. I would loved to have tried him over two and a half miles, and it was a real temptation, but we've got another Grade 1 in a fortnight's time around a track he likes and as we can't do both, we will wait.

"He's done one good piece of work and schooled once since Cheltenham and everything has been absolutely brilliant, but no horse had an easy race at Cheltenham on that ground, so we might as well do the sensible thing and make full use of the extra time we've got.

"The first words Nico (de Boinville) said to me when he got off after the Champion Chase was 'he has had a tough race today', so we all feel the extra two weeks will freshen him up a little bit more."

Henderson confirmed Cheltenham Gold Cup runner-up Might Bite will make the journey from Lambourn to Liverpool for Thursday's Betway Bowl following a pleasing workout on Sunday morning.

He added: " Might Bite is certainly telling us that he has come out of Cheltenham extremely well and, barring incident, he definitely goes to Aintree. He's working very well and his schooling has been great. He's been out this morning and says (in horse language) he's very well!"

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