ON The Blind Side is "almost certain" to stick to two and a half miles in Saturday's Betway Mersey Novices Hurdle at Aintree.

Nicky Henderson's unbeaten six-year-old is also entered in the three-mile Sefton Novices' Hurdle on Friday, but Mike Spence, son of owner Alan Spence, confirmed he is likely to stick to what he knows before going novice chasing in the autumn.

On The Blind Side was last seen winning a Grade 2 at Sandown back in December, with a minor setback forcing him to miss the Cheltenham Festival.

"It was frustrating to miss Cheltenham as it was only a small thing, but if he'd run he wouldn't have been able to show his best," said Spence.

"Everything has been good since then, he's had a clean run, and to be fair he's missed running on the bad ground like a lot of them have, so he'll be going there fresh.

"At the moment it looks almost certain he will go for the two-mile-four race, rather than the three-miler.

"He had sore shins when he won at Cheltenham in November so while some said he stayed on strongly, it was more that he didn't enjoy going downhill yet when he hit the rising ground, he powered home.

"I don't think he was able to show his best that day, but he learned a lot.

"It is a very tight two-four at Aintree but we'd rather stick at this trip for now and he'll definitely go chasing next year, he already looks like a chaser."

Black Op, who beat all bar Samcro at Cheltenham, Claimantakinforgan, Global Citizen and Western Ryder are among 25 possibles.