Last year's Champion Bumper winner has been towards the fore of the novice hurdle ante-post markets for the Cheltenham Festival this season, but a setback meant he missed his intended jumping debut at Punchestown in October, and he was later ruled out until the new year.

JP McManus' six-year-old was the start of the show in the bumper division last season, winning Grade 1's at both the Cheltenham and Punchestown Festivals.

He remains unbeaten in five starts to date and while connections would have been hopeful for a successful hurdling campaign, McManus' racing manager Frank Berry confirmed he will instead remain in bumpers with the Grade 2 Goffs Future Stars INH Flat Race at next month's Dublin Racing Festival the intended target.

Berry said: "All being well, he'll go for the bumper (at the Dublin Racing Festival).

"He's missed a few schooling days and a few things and with the setback, it just didn't give us a lot of time to get him jumping.

"He's eligible for the bumper in Leopardstown and that's the route he's going to take, so let's see how we get on doing this.

"He's coming along nicely; John is happy with him. We'll learn a bit more at the Dublin Racing Festival and see where we go from there."

The John Kiely-trained star will be bidding for back-to-back victories in the Grade 2 prize after beating Fact Or File by two-and-three-quarter lengths in the contest last year.