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The John McConnell-trained Mahler Mission will not head to Cheltenham in March with the Grand National at Aintree his ultimate 2024 target.

The striking son of Mahler looked set to play a major role in the finish of the National Hunt Challenge Cup at the Cheltenham Festival last season before departing at the second last but connections this year will opt to miss the March Festival altogether, with all eyes on the Aintree Grand National the following month.

Mahler Mission finished a fine second behind Thunder Rock in the Listed Colin Park Intermediate Chase at Carlisle on his reappearance in November. John McConnell's charge once again produced an excellent performance to fill the same position in the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury a month later, despite losing both shoes during the three-mile two-furlong contest.

McConnell, based in County Meath, said: "He's in good form, he had a good break after the Coral and he's back riding out now,"

"It was a good race, horses have won out of it since and we were very, very happy on the day. Hopefully, there's a bit more to come.

"Hopefully, we'll get a clear run with him; he'll miss Cheltenham and the target will be the National.

"He should be on a nice racing weight, it's the Grand National and we could get him there and then anything could happen on the day, but he's entitled to take his chance.

"He ticks a lot of the boxes for the race, he's still a relatively young horse and he'd certainly be worth his place in the field.

Although no firm has been put in place for the lightly raced eighty-year-old, McConnell was happy to suggest a run over hurdles could be on the cards in order to protect his current chase rating of 155.

He added: "We've not got a plan yet; I'd have to sit down and try and find a race for him before and see what there is about.

"It wouldn't bother us if we went back over hurdles, that's definitely an option."