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Altior set for Dovecote date

Altior
Image: Altior: Set for the Sky Bet Dovecote

Altior is likely to go to the Sky Bet Dovecote Novices' Hurdle at Kempton on February 27 in his final race before the Cheltenham Festival.

The Nicky Henderson-trained six-year-old stormed to a 13-length victory on his last visit to the track on Boxing Day which saw him cut to second-favourite behind Min for the Sky Bet Supreme Novices' Hurdle.

His Lambourn handler has been pleased with him since and has identified a trip back to Kempton as the perfect preparation for his Festival target.

"I would have thought so [running Altior again before Cheltenham] and I would've thought the Dovecote would be the place to go too," Henderson told At The Races.

"He's just having a little freshen up at the moment, he's come out of that well, he's done everything right so far and his jumping is getting slicker all the time as the experience has been doing him the world of good.

"Min runs this weekend so we'll be keeping an eye on him!"

While Altior will be having another run before Cheltenham, Henderson underlined that Sprinter Sacre is highly likely to head straight to the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase without another run.

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Henderson said: "He's in good form he's taken it [Kempton win] well, I put him in the Ascot Chase but he won't go there. He'll almost certainly go straight to Cheltenham.

"I don't think Kempton was him in his real mode, I think he found it tight enough and he loves Cheltenham."

Meanwhile, Henderson hopes both Peace And Co and My Tent Or Yours will make the line-up for the Stan James Champion Hurdle where they will get the chance to lower the colours of the mighty Faugheen.

"We have a plan [for Peace And Co], he's likely to go to Haydock for the Stan James Champion Hurdle Trial," Henderson said.

"The trouble is with him and My Tent Or Yours they pull very hard in their races but you're not going to learn a lot at home. You can put all sorts of bits and gadgets and goods and tongue ties and whatever you like on them so we need to figure what he likes.

"I think if he [Peace And Co] came to Haydock it would be a very small field and not a lot of cover perhaps.

"We're getting there in small steps [with My Tent Or Yours]. He'd have the pace to sit on [Faugheen's] tail. Whether he'd have the pace to go past him is another thing.

"My job is to get both of them there and I hope we will."

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