JOSEPH O’Brien enjoyed a terrific week with his select National Hunt string at the Punchestown Festival and will bid to maintain that excellent jumping run this weekend, with his Cheltenham Festival winner Lark In The Mornin confirmed to make his return.

The impressive Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle scorer is an intended runner in Saturday’s Pertemps Network Swinton Handicap Hurdle (3.15) at Haydock, a premier handicap worth £80,000.

A four-year-old with a preference for decent ground, the Sean and Bernadine Mulryan-owned performer has missed several targets this year due to unsuitably soft going, including at the Punchestown Festival last Friday when withdrawn from a two-mile novice hurdle.

Instead, the impressive Cheltenham winner will become only O’Brien’s third career runner at Haydock, racing off 8lb higher than when readily landing the Boodles. There is also possible Irish representation in the race through Tony Martin's Niburu and Ozzie's Lodge, while Willie Mullins has entered Onlyamatteroftime.

Speaking to The Irish Field on Wednesday afternoon, O’Brien said: “The plan is for Lark In The Mornin to go for the Swinton. It looks like it should be a nice race for him. I’m sure it will be competitive but there’s some good prize money on offer.

"Hopefully it looks like they should have some nice ground over there this weekend too. He seems to have come out of his run at Cheltenham in good shape. Fingers crossed this is a nice race for him.”

Lark In The Mornin is a top-priced 4/1 favourite for the Swinton, followed in the market by the Paul Nicholls-trained Afadil (10/1), last seen finishing fourth in the Scottish Champion Hurdle, and Aintree Festival runner-up Ballee (10/1) for the Philip Hobbs and Johnson White training partnership.

The latest going update from Haydock on Wednesday morning found the ground to be good, good to soft in places on the hurdles course. Following a largely dry period, with just 4mm of rain last week, watering has been taking place to maintain good ground. The forecast is mostly dry with sunny spells.

O’Brien struck with a double at the Punchestown Festival through Banbridge and Harsh, while Home By The Lee and Nurburgring managed to be placed in Grade 1 company during the week too.

The form of Lark In The Mornin’s Boodles success was also boosted at the Co Kildare festival, with Harsh (fourth), Pigeon House (ninth) and Eagle Fang (12th) all winning at Punchestown on their first start after the competitive Cheltenham handicap hurdle.