Summerville Boy could return at Aintree as Tom George lines up strong squad

This time last year Summerville Boy looked to have the world at his feet after a brilliant win in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle.

Two poor runs this season – blamed on a hairline fracture of his off-hind leg which has kept him of the track since December – have seen him fall out of favour with punters, but his trainer Tom George is hopeful he can build his way back to the force he once appeared.

That could be in a potentially mouthwatering renewal of the Aintree Hurdle on Thursday, with Buveur D'Air, Apple's Jade and Samcro among the possible opposition, although the Scottish Champion Hurdle remains an option.

His recovery has gone well and he could line up in the Grade 1 event. George said: "He’s had a good recovery, it’s all gone to plan as we’d hoped. He was never properly out of work, we just had to ease off with him, so it wasn’t like we had to stop completely. We kept him ticking over, but he had to go on to light work rather than proper hard work.

"He’s through all of that and we’ve stepped it up over the last eight weeks. He’s in good order and ready to go.

“Everyone has seen how good he can be, but things haven’t gone right. He has a good platform, he just needs to keep building on it."

Summerville Boy was doing his best work in the closing stages of his wins in the Supreme and the Tolworth at Sandown, but the two-and-a-half mile trip would be a step into the unknown.

George said: “We haven’t got many choices really. He’s a fast horse, but he’s a stayer as well. Further down the line it’s not going to be a problem, but maybe two miles would have been better first time back.

"We've kept him in the Scottish Champion Hurdle as another option. I would've thought he'll go to Aintree, but we’ll have to see about the ground."

The Grand National meeting has been kind to George in the last decade, with the trainer recording wins in the Melling Chase, the Bowl and the Sefton Novices' Hurdle.

Black Op continued the theme last year with his triumph in the Mersey Novices' Hurdle, but he will not be part of the "ten or so" horses heading to Aintree from George's Gloucestershire base.

He said: "Black Op won't be entered in the Stayers'. He came back with a nasty cut at Cheltenham, which might have been the reason why he didn’t get home and he was very sore for about two weeks. We’ve only just started riding him now, so it’s taken him quite a bit of time to get over it.

"There’s plenty to look forward to. One horse I’m really looking forward to running is Clondaw Castle. He’s in the Red Rum, but we're also going to put him in the two-mile novice on Saturday.

Tom George is looking forward to running Arkle fourth Clondaw Castle at AintreeCredit: Alan Crowhurst

"I think two miles on good ground will really suit him, he just didn’t get home at Cheltenham. He was the only horse to really go with the Arkle winner [Duc Des Genievres] and it probably cost him second, he just got tired up the run-in, in ground which was a bit soft for him. Two miles on a flat track on better ground will be perfect for him."

Previous Melling Chase winner God's Own, who was pulled-up sharply in the Queen Mother Champion Chase, is only a possible to line-up in the race again, with Punchestown also an option.

"He got galloped into the back of coming down the hill at Cheltenham, he sustained a nasty cut and it must have hurt him because Paddy [Brennan] thought it was worse than it was, he thought something had seriously gone wrong.

"He was very sore on it, but he’s a hard horse and he’s back in work. We haven’t decided yet whether to wait for Punchestown or not, but there’s a possibility we might see him at Aintree."

Singlefarmpayment: Paddy Brennan is set to ride him in the Grand NationalCredit: Edward Whitaker

Double Shuffle, who was pulled up in the Gold Cup and holds an entry in the Bowl, could run in the Topham Chase alongside stablemate Activial, who ran admirably in the Ultima at Cheltenham.

Singlefarmpayment is guaranteed a run in the Grand National and George confirmed he remains on course to appear in the £1 million marathon, with Paddy Brennan set to ride.

He added: "He’s in good form, the ground was too soft for him at Cheltenham and he could never get into it. You could probably put a line through that.

"I don’t know whether he’ll take to the National fences or not, but he’s quite the character and he could really enjoy it."

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