Alan King has confirmed an appearance by Smad Place in the William Hill King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day is "unlikely" but not completely ruled out.
An impressive winner of the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury last weekend, King has also warned punters not to back him for the Cheltenham Gold Cup as he could drop back in trip for the Ryanair.
"I'm not saying he definitely won't run, but it's more likely we'll wait for Cheltenham" - Alan King
The Barbury Castle trainer said: "He's come out of it really well, I had to send him for a canter this morning, he's pretty fresh.
"We hoped he had a great chance, but didn't expect a performance like that.
"He wasn't fit enough last year, but we learned from our mistake and the Kempton run (graduation chase early last month) gave him a lot of confidence as it was a long time since he'd got his head in front.
"It's probably Cheltenham in January next, but I have left him in the King George, we'll see. I'm not saying he definitely won't run, but it's more likely we'll wait for Cheltenham."
Speaking on At The Races, King added: "I suppose I'd just like to give him a bit longer, he's a horse we've never over-raced and if we went over three miles on trials day (at Cheltenham) it would give us a proper idea if we should aim at the Gold Cup or the Ryanair.
"I definitely haven't ruled out the Ryanair, people don't want to be backing him for the Gold Cup at the moment.
"It (Gold Cup) looks a really strong division so we'll have to see how everyone else is getting on and I'm a great believer in leaving options open, hence the reason he's in the King George and why he'll have an entry in the Ryanair.
"I don't think the ground bothers him that much. He handled it on Saturday, yet he really bounced off it at Kempton.
"I just didn't want to rule the King George out completely and then regret it. It's unlikely, but I have been known to change my mind."
