Cheltenham Festival – Ar Mad out of the Festival with Aintree and Punchestown now the targets

AR MAD will not make the Cheltenham Festival as trainer Gary Moore feels next month's showpiece meeting will come too soon.

The West Sussex handler had already ruled the seven-year-old out of the Ascot Chase on Saturday week.

He had hoped the Grade 1 winner would have recovered from a setback in time for the Festival, where he holds entries in the Queen Mother Champion Chase and the Ryanair Chase.

"Even though he is coming along nicely, the Cheltenham Festival is going to come too soon and it looks almost certain that we will head straight to Aintree or Punchestown instead," Moore told www.betway.com

"There is simply no point rushing him back too quickly and you just can't go to Cheltenham undercooked.

"It's a shame, but by giving ourselves that little bit more time he will be spot-on for one of those targets."

Ar Mad missed last season's Festival due to injury and has been been restricted to just one run this campaign, when a staying-on fourth in the Tingle Creek at Sandown in December.