A record-breaking 16-lengths success in the Irish Champion Hurdle here on Saturday was still not enough to secure Apple’s Jade a place in its British equivalent on the first day of the Cheltenham Festival next month. Gordon Elliott’s mare will be at the track on 12 March but she seems likely to run in the Mares’ Hurdle rather than the Champion, despite showing form here that would make her a plausible favourite to beat Buveur D’Air, the champion for the last two years.

Buveur D’Air was also in action on Saturday, winning the Contenders Hurdle at Sandown by two lengths at odds of 1-5, and Nicky Henderson, his trainer, seemed as surprised as anyone to hear that Apple’s Jade is not expected to line up against the dual champion at Cheltenham, where she would get a 7lb mares’ allowance.

There is still time for Michael O’Leary, Apple’s Jade’s owner, to have a sudden change of heart and Elliott also suggested here that the Mares’ Hurdle option is not set in stone. However, Eddie O’Leary, Michael’s brother and racing manager, insisted repeatedly that he sees no reason to switch her away from the Mares’ Hurdle.

“Of course you’re tempted and it will be Michael who will decide, but I’d go to the Mares’ Hurdle because you’re qualified,” O’Leary said. “And she’s won the Irish Champion Hurdle, and by the way, she failed in the Mares’ Hurdle last year, so it’s not as if we’re going there as a certainty. So all going well, I’d say that’s where we’re going.

“We’ve a good mare and we’re going to enjoy her while we can. We haven’t got one gelding that’s qualified for the Mares’ Hurdle. As of now, it’s long odds-on [that she will run in that race] and I think people will remember her regardless, she’s a great mare.”

Apple’s Jade is generally the clear second-favourite at 9-4 for the Champion Hurdle with bookmakers offering a “non-runner, no bet” concession, but a 6-1 chance with Hills, who are “all-in”, meaning that stakes are lost if she does not run. In the Mares’ Hurdle betting, she is odds-on at 4-7, while Buveur D’Air’s price for the Champion Hurdle ranges from 11-10 to 13-8.

Quick guide Racing tips Sunday 3 February Show Hide Southwell 1.00 Champagne Mondays 1.35 The Golden Cue 2.10 Point Zero 2.45 Ornate (nap) 3.20 Seasearch 3.50 Break The Silence (nb)

Racegoers and punters may well feel a little short-changed if Apple’s Jade lines up for the Mares’ Hurdle rather than the Champion, a move that would simultaneously reduce the competitiveness of both events. The option exists, though, following the extension of the Festival from three days to four, and some dilution of the depth and quality of the championship events was inevitable as a result.

Min, who took the Grade One Dublin Chase at odds-on, also has options at the Festival and his connections will take their time before deciding whether to take on Altior in the Champion Chase or move up in trip in the Ryanair Chase the following day. There was a miserable postscript to Saturday’s race, however, when it was confirmed that Henry de Bromhead’s bold-jumping front-runner Special Tiara, the 2017 Champion Chase winner, had been put down after suffering a serious leg injury in the early stages.

Le Richebourg, the 11-10 favourite, stayed on strongly to take the Grade One Arkle Novice Chase for Joseph O’Brien and will now head to the race of a similar name at Cheltenham as the likely favourite, though his task was eased when Voix Du Reve fell at the last fence when close behind the winner.

The only Grade One event of the afternoon in Britain was the Scilly Isles Novice Chase at Sandown, where Kim Bailey’s Vinndication set off as favourite to maintain an unbeaten record over jumps but could finish only third behind Defi Du Seuil, the 2017 Triumph Hurdle winner, and Lostintranslation, who had beaten him in the Dipper Novice Chase at Cheltenham in January.

The two horses are expected to renew rivalry in the JLT Novice Chase at Cheltenham and are closely matched at the top of the betting, with Defi Du Seuil a narrow 6-1 favourite ahead of Lostintranslation on 7-1.