Master steps up in trip Master Minded is set to step back up to two and a half miles in the John Smith's Melling Chase at Aintree on Friday week as connections contemplate trying him over three miles next season. The King George VI Chase at Kempton is a possible objective next season for the eight-year-old, who was well-beaten in the Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham when bidding to win it for the third time. "He's going for the two-and-a-half-mile chase as long as he's fit and well," trainer Paul Nicholls told At The Races. "The way he ran in the Champion Chase this year, he's not going to beat those horses again unless the ground is very soft. We've got to pick and choose our races with him and probably go a bit further and he could go for the King George. "He won over two and a half at Ascot first time this year. It just happens a bit quick for him over shorter now so we might give it a try. We'll probably start him off at Ascot again next season over two and a half and take it from there."
