Tuesday 3 January 2017 12:16, UK
Messire Des Obeaux will have his prep for the Cheltenham Festival in the Neptune Investment Management Classic Novices' Hurdle at the track on January 28.
Trained by Alan King, he held off Gordon Elliott's highly-regarded Baltazar D'Allier in the Grade One Challow Hurdle at Newbury and connections are planning to stick to two and a half miles with him.
"If Alan is happy with him in the days leading up to it, he'll go to Cheltenham on Trials Day for the Grade Two over two and a half miles," said Anthony Bromley, racing manager to owners Simon Munir and Isaac Souede.
"He'd need to be pleasing Alan in the run up to it, but that would seem the ideal race to give him a prep before the Festival. There would be no need for a run in February, and it would be a springboard towards the Neptune.
"He travelled strongly at Newbury so we see no reason to step him up to three miles, but we're in agreement that he'll probably need three miles over fences.
"He's certainly growing up but he's still like a teenager, he's learning the game all the time and he is held in high esteem at home. We are starting to see that on the track now.
"A day at Cheltenham will be good for him mentally. He ran at the Festival last year in the Fred Winter but he's a different proposition now.
"We have nice hopes for him, obviously the Irish have to come into the equation but he looks like going with reasonable hopes."
