Colin Tizzard admits Cue Card could sidestep the Cheltenham Gold Cup and run in the Ryanair Chase instead.
The 12-year-old showed glimpses of his best form when running Waiting Patiently close in the Ascot Chase on Saturday, with Tizzard's stable star having made steady progress over the course of the season after a fall at Wetherby in November.
Cue Card has since finished runner-up twice, trailing Bristol De Mai home by someway in the Betfair Chase before his much better showing at Ascot last weekend.
Tizzard believes Cue Card is shaping up nicely to hit top gear at next month's Cheltenham Festival but says he is unsure which entry to take up at Prestbury Park, having seen his charge fall at the third-last in the Gold Cup for the last two years running.
Having trained Cue Card to Ryanair Chase success in 2013, Tizzard says he could revert back to that race in search of a Festival winner.
Tizzard said: “Despite everything said about him over the last three months, he looks to be equally as good as he has ever been.
“We watched a recording of it (Ascot Chase) yesterday and he was only half-a-length down when he definitely got interfered with. I'm not taking anything away from Waiting Patiently as he won on merit on the day.
“Whether he goes for the Ryanair or Gold Cup, if you read Monday's paper it was all decided but it is not. We will let that run for a while.”
