Champ appears likely to stick to hurdles for the foreseeable future with Nicky Henderson confirming an outing in the Welsh Marches Stallions At Chapel Stud Cleeve Hurdle at Cheltenham as his next target.

Always highly regarded, the 10-year-old has an impressive strike-rate having won 10 of his 16 races to date but last season ended on a sour note when he was pulled up in the Cheltenham Gold Cup.