Death Duty heading straight to Cheltenham

Death Duty won't take up his Deloitte Novice Hurdle engagement and is set to head straight to the Cheltenham Festival.

Gordon Elliott's six-year-old completed a four-timer with an impressive Grade One success at Naas and has the option of running in either the Neptune Investment Management Novices' Hurdle or the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle in March.

Elliott said: "He definitely won't run at Leopardstown and he'll go straight to Cheltenham.

"I'm leaning towards the Albert Bartlett with him. I think it'll suit him, as he settles so well. You could drop him in and follow them around and you know he's going to stay.

"We'll see, as there is a lot of water to go under the bridge between now and then."