Meade has Riches ready for Cheltenham

Noel Meade is concentrating on getting Road To Riches ready for Cheltenham, irrespective of his Festival target.

The Gigginstown House Stud-owned gelding ran a huge race in the Gold Cup last year when third behind Coneygree and Djakadam . He was also third to Don Cossack in the Punchestown equivalent.

His other engagement is in the shorter Ryanair Chase, and with Gigginstown holding a strong hand in the Gold Cup, a late decision is likely on his destination.

Meade told At The Races: "Since his last run I haven't spoken to Michael or Eddie (O'Leary) about what race he is going to run in. Basically I've been getting him ready to run in Cheltenham and I'm sure we'll have a chat about what race he is going to run in.

"I'd prefer it if he ran in the Gold Cup, but I don't own the horse, Michael does and he has quite a few horses in the race so he will be the one who makes the final call.

"The main thing as far as I'm concerned is getting him in as good a shape as I can for Cheltenham.

"Everything is debated, and in fairness to Michael and Eddie at the moment, they have to look at the situation closer to the time, as a lot of things can happen between now and then."