Don't Push It will have at least one more run ahead of his bid to to land back-to-back victories in the John Smith's Grand National at Aintree on 9 April.
Jonjo O'Neill believes his stable star has 'a great chance' of a repeat success if he heads to Aintree in similar form to last April when Don't Push It gave the trainer, owner JP McManus, and jockey Tony McCoy an emotional first success in the world's greatest steeplechase.
'Don't Push It won well last year but he is obviously going to have to carry more weight this time and things will be tougher for him," O'Neill said at a media day at Jackdaws Castle Stables.
'If he goes back in the same form and enjoys himself as much as he did last season, then he would have a great chance. I would like to run him over fences before the Grand National if I could find a race that would suit him, but there are no races for him unless you go for a marathon trip.
'You don't want to do that before Aintree with a horse like him because he puts a lot into his races. Ideally, I want to win a race before we go to Aintree and not just run in one, because the one thing you need him to be in the Grand National is fit.
'He came back after a long break in the summer very heavy - I think that JP must have given him a lot of sweets!
He ran too freely under Alan (Berry) on his seasonal return at Cheltenham over hurdles in December when he was a bit too fresh.
'He got revved up on that occasion and he settled a lot better when AP rode him at the same course on New Year's Day but he will need another race or two before Aintree.'
