Henry de Bromhead remains keen to head to next month's Savills Chase at Leopardstown with A Plus Tard after so far failing to find an obvious reason for his disappointing return to action at Haydock on Saturday.
The Cheveley Park Stud-owned gelding was a brilliant winner of the Betfair Chase 12 months ago and was unsurprisingly a short price to double up on his first start since claiming Gold Cup glory in March.
But A Plus Tard failed to travel or jump with his trademark enthusiasm and Rachael Blackmore pulled him up early in the home straight.
De Bromhead remains perplexed by the performance – but if nothing comes to light over the coming days he will put a line through it and move on.
"Nothing (has shown up) as yet. I just saw him this morning and he trotted out perfect," the County Waterford handler said on Monday.
"We just don’t know at the moment. Our vet was doing a lot of things with him this morning and I haven’t spoken to him since.
"His bloods have been checked and his heart. His bloods were done last Monday and they were perfect, I think the racecourse checked his heart straight after and he scoped and he was perfect.
"He’s moving perfect. People were saying he was a bit reluctant to go down to the start, I didn’t see that. Genuinely I don’t know.
"Could it be as simple as the ground? I definitely felt we didn’t travel as well or jump as well as we did last year, or as we normally would, but he can do that – I thought in the Gold Cup at stages he wasn’t blowing me away.
"I just hoped like in the previous year he locked on turning in and I thought for a little bit he was starting to travel, but he got in tight to one of them and that was it.
"Rachael said she was never happy and I felt it was too bad to be down to the ground. We’re stunned really about it."
De Bromhead is not giving up hope of making the Savills Chase on 28 December, a race A Plus Tard won two years ago and finished a close second to Galvin in last season.
He said: "You’ve still got the guts of six weeks to the Savills Chase. We’d love to go there once we feel he’s right, but obviously we’ll be doing every test we can between now and then to make sure he’s right.
"Of course you’d prefer to have a reason, without it being a career-ending one, but sometimes you don’t and they come back anyhow."
The Co Waterford handler also remains hopeful Bob Olinger's "savage engine" remains fully intact ahead of a planned outing at Leopardstown over the Christmas period.
The seven-year-old looked a superstar in the making when sprinting up the Cheltenham hill to win the Ballymore Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham two years ago, but has struggled to rediscover that brilliance.
He won his first three starts over fences last term, but was fortunate to double his Festival tally in the Turners' Novices' Chase after the dramatic final fence exit of Galopin Des Champs, and he was pulled up on his final start of last season at Punchestown.
Bob Olinger reverted to the smaller obstacles on his reappearance in Navan's Lismullen Hurdle earlier in the month and looked back to his best when travelling to the front, but he was reeled in by surprise winner Home By The Lee on the run-in.
Reflecting on that performance, De Bromhead said: "I was disappointed, and that was probably unfair on the winner.
"I looked at the betting and he wasn't one of the obvious dangers, but I hadn't see his form and he was only beaten six or seven lengths in the Stayers' Hurdle and I think he just outstayed us.
"With these horses that run three or four times a season, we try to have them as right as we can for their first run, but he was a piece of work shorter. This isn't an excuse, but just before the last you could see it just took its toll.
"He's a very, very good work horse and he's shown it on the track before. Hopefully he just needed the run the other day as on raw ability he'd be right up there with the best we've had."
Bob Olinger has options over two and three miles at Leopardstown, with the three-mile Christmas Hurdle - which will this year be named in memory of De Bromhead's late son, Jack - the favoured option.
"I would be leaning towards the three-mile race at Christmas, I think it might help his jumping as well, but then he was only just beaten by Ferny Hollow over two miles in a maiden hurdle," the trainer added.
"I don't really have a reason why (he disappointed) over fences. I suppose hurdles are just easier to get from A to B over and when you have an engine like he has, the most important thing is to be able to utilise the engine - and he has a savage engine."
