Alan King feels Sceau Royal's Newcastle outing on Saturday will give him an idea of his charge's Cheltenham Festival credentials.
Sceau Royal is set to contest the Grade One stanjames.com Fighting Fifth Hurdle this weekend.
Trainer King believes the four-year-old's performance at Newcastle will give him and idea as to whether or not the Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival is a realistic target for Sceau Royal.
“He's in good form and we're very happy with him,” he told At The Races.
“It's an interesting race, but I think he deserves to be there. We'll know more [about his Champion Hurdle claims] after the race. There's Irish horses coming over so it will be a good test.
“He won well [in the Elite Hurdle] at Wincanton. It's going to be different conditions and softer ground, but, to be fair, Wincanton was plenty quick enough for him.
“He won on testing ground round Cheltenham last year and I would think the ground will be all right, but this will be another step up for him.”
