Champion trainer Paul Nicholls feels he still has plenty to work with after Monmiral had his colours lowered by fellow chasing debutant Jonbon at Warwick.

The eight-year-old missed an intended engagement at Cheltenham last weekend owing to the combination of quicker ground and a “gravelled foot” in the build up to the race.

Having his first start of the season in the three-runner Highflyer Bloodstock Novices’ Chase, Harry Cobden’s mount raced in second throughout and while pressing the odds-on Jonbon early, was outpaced three fences from home in the two-mile contest, finishing seven lengths adrift of the Nicky Henderson-trained winner.

It was still a satisfactory chasing debut from Monmiral, who won five of his eight starts over hurdles, including the Grade One Anniversary 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle last year, and whose part-owner Sir Alex Ferguson was in attendance.

Nicholls said: “We’ll still head off to Sandown, I’d say, for the Henry VIII (also the target for Jonbon) – that was always our plan. Stiffer track, softer ground – that would be in our favour a little bit.

“I asked Harry if we wanted to step up to two and a half, but he said ‘no, he just had a bit of a blow jumping the third-last’, the winner got away and he stayed on up the straight.

“He said, ‘don’t be afraid to go for the better races and stick to our plan’, so we will.

“He came in about a month later than all our other horses, so he’ll probably take a step forward. He’ll need to, to beat Jonbon, mind.

“I must admit, I was a bit worried about whether he’d jump as well as he did, just because he’s been a bit ‘French’ jumping his hurdles, but he was good, and we can build on that enormously.”