Bristol De Mai is on course to make his seasonal return in the bet365 Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby on November 3, provided conditions are suitable.
The Nigel Twiston-Davies trained seven-year-old could use the Grade Two prize, which he claimed 12 months ago, as a stepping stone towards a repeat bid at glory in the Betfair Chase at Haydock later in the month.
Anthony Bromley, racing manager to owners Isaac Souede and Simon Munir, said: "Bristol De Mai ran well on his last run of the season at Aintree against Might Bite. It was nice to get a solid run into him at a high level.
"The plan at the moment is to go for the Charlie Hall, then hopefully head to the Betfair Chase again. After that I'm not sure where we go, as we haven't made any other plans.
"He is very much ground dependent. We wouldn't want to run him on good to firm ground and if he doesn't get to Wetherby he will have to go to the Betfair Chase first time up."