Richard Thompson insists he would be “very comfortable” if A Plus Tard were to go straight to Cheltenham and try to defend his Gold Cup crown.
Henry de Bromhead’s charge was a brilliant winner of the race last season, but has faced serious challenges since.
The nine-year-old was found to be under the weather after being pulled up when bidding for back-to-back wins in the Betfair Chase at Haydock in November and was withdrawn on the morning of last month’s Savills Chase at Leopardstown after he was found to have knocked a joint.
