Picts set for step up in trip Pat Shanahan is planning to step King Of The Picts up in distance on his next appearance following a creditable effort in Saturday's International Hurdle. Having competed at Grade One level on his previous two starts, the five-year-old had another tough assignment at Cheltenham. Although he was unable to keep tabs on the impressive The New One and Greatwood Hurdle runner-up Vaniteux, King Of The Picts finished strongly up the famous hill and was not beaten that far into fourth. Shanahan said: "He ran very well, but I think the race told us he definitely wants to step up to two and a half miles. "He's entered in the big race at Christmas (Ryanair Hurdle), but I don't think there's any point in taking on the likes of Hurricane Fly and Jezki over two miles, so we might wait and run in a race over two and a half at Naas in the middle of January." The trainer also saddled Dolce N Karama at Prestbury Park, but he finished tailed off in the Triumph Hurdle Trial. "We're going to get him checked over, but I think he has picked up a bit of a bug," said Shanahan. "It wasn't his running. The biggest worry we had was getting him to settle as he's a keen-going horse, but he wasn't keen at all on Saturday."
