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Ashroe Diamond is expected to use the Grade Two Yorkshire Rose Mares’ Hurdle at Doncaster as a stepping stone for the Cheltenham Festival.
The Willie Mullins-trained mare landed the Grade 1 Honeysuckle Mares Novice Hurdle at Fairyhouse in April, and the team at Closutton have struggled to place the seven-year-old subsequently, with ineligibility preventing entries against her own sex in Ireland. She returned after the summer break with a third behind Teahupoo in the Grade 1 Hatton's Grace Hurdle and a tilt at the Grade 1 Mares Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival beckons.
"We were delighted with her first run back, she was one of the last to come in because of the cut she got in the Honeysuckle (Mares' Novices' Hurdle, at Fairyhouse in April)," said James Fenton, racing manager for owners Blue Blood Racing Club.
"It was a bad enough cut, she needed staples in it and it was a bit of a mess and needed plenty of work.
"We are very limited in Ireland when it comes to Grade One-winning mares as they are omitted from a lot of the graded races.
"We'd have liked to have run her in the BeattheBank at Leopardstown over Christmas that Shewearsitwell won last season, but as a Grade One winner she couldn't go in it.
"So we're probably looking across the water and she's going to be entered in Doncaster on the 27th (Yorkshire Rose Mares' Hurdle) and the plan is to run at Cheltenham in the Mares' Hurdle.
"She's doing everything right at home and she's a proper mare this year, we're looking forward to getting her out."
He went on: "She's been kept in training because we think there's more to come. I felt she was a little bit hard done by last year. She hasn't made Cheltenham yet and when we discussed it I said there's still a bit more there.
"We just felt she deserves one more year over hurdles, she is a Grade 1 winner already, there isn't much to prove going over fences but I do think she's good enough to win the Mares' Hurdle and if she's in the first three, we'll be delighted.
"Myself, Willie, Patrick (Mullins) and David Casey will all have our views of the best route and when you have that kind of a team saying what you should be doing and where you should be going, you probably should be listening."
Ashroe Diamond is a general 6/1 shot for the Mares Hurdle on Tuesday of the Cheltenham Festival.