Thursday 29 January 2015 12:01, UK
Al Ferof's next planned appearance in the Betfair Ascot Chase is set to determine his Cheltenham Festival target, according to owner John Hales.
Paul Nicholls' grey still holds entries in the Gold Cup, the Ryanair Chase and the Queen Mother Champion Chase, for which he is the shortest price of all three races in the ante-post betting.
But Hales wants to assess Al Ferof's next performance before thoughts turn to the Festival in March.
He said: "Al Ferof is very well and is going to Ascot on February 14.
"He's in the three races at Cheltenham, but we'll probably have a better idea about where we stand after Ascot. Circumstances can change so it's not something that we can rush into."
Sky Bet punters can back Al Ferof at 33/1 for the Betfred Gold Cup and 8/1 for the Betway Champion Chase, with markets for both races being traded on a non-runner, no-bet basis.
