EDWARD HARTY is considering a return to hurdles for his stable star Captain Cee Bee at the Punchestown Festival. The nine-year-old was sent off favourite for the Arkle Trophy at Cheltenham last month, but after trailing home eighth of the 12 runners, he was found to have burst a blood vessel.

Harty has given his charge time to recover from that mishap and he now has the Ryanair Novice Chase or the Rabobank Champion Hurdle as potential targets.

“The plan at the moment is to go to Punchestown. He has had a break since Cheltenham to get over the burst blood vessel and we will make our minds up over the course of the next few weeks whether he is ready for it and, if so, which race will it be if we do go,” said Harty.

“We have given him a tentative entry into the Rabobank Champion Hurdle to give ourselves more options. It will be his last run of the year so there is no point in limiting ourselves to just one option. We may as well keep the options open to the last minute.

“I would not be afraid to go for either race, it just depends on what the horse is telling us. Hopefully he will be fit and well and we can decide nearer to the day.”

Other possibles in the Ryanair Novice Chase include Arkle winner Sizing Europe and the Nicky Henderson-trained trio of Riverside Theatre, Mad Max and French Opera.

There are 19 entries for the Rabobank Champion Hurdle, with talented novice Dunguib and long-term absentee Hurricane Fly among the contenders.

Hurricane Fly has been off the track since November due to injury, but trainer Willie Mullins has been thrilled with his progress. “Hurricane Fly completed his first two bits of faster work this week and came through them absolutely fine,” Mullins said in his weekly blog on www.goracing.ie.

“I’ve been very pleased with him and he doesn’t seem to be in any way stiff or sore.”