Massini straight to Cheltenham

Tom George's unbeaten hurdler Tell Massini (winner of a Bartlemy point-to-point for Michael Griffin before being sold for 30,000 at Doncaster in May) is unlikely to run again before the Cheltenham Festival in March.

The six-year-old bolted up on his British introduction at Chepstow in October and followed up with an eight-length defeat of subsequent Grade One winner Reve De Sivola at Cheltenham.

He then showed three miles was well within his compass when following up on his return to Cheltenham last month.

George said: "Tell Massini was out this morning and it's the first time he's been ridden since Cheltenham, but that was always the plan.

"He's very well in himself and we'll just start to build him for the Festival now. I'd say it's unlikely he'll run again beforehand.

"His form is obviously working out well - he beat Reve De Sivola very convincingly a couple of starts ago, and he's a very exciting horse.

"We'll keep our options open for Cheltenham and see what the ground is like, but he is an out-and-out three-miler and everything he does over hurdles is a bonus.

"What's great about him is that he stays very well but if the ground was pretty testing, he could travel with them over two and a half as well."