Cheveley Park boss: A Plus Tard's still the one they have to beat in Gold Cup

A Plus Tard is the horse to beat in the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup according to Cheveley Park Stud's Richard Thompson, who said the Irish Gold Cup had not delivered the knockout contender to cause alarm.

The Gold Cup favourite is the key Cheltenham hope for the Thompson family, whose fierce engagement with the festival and the top table of jump racing has been one of the biggest features of the last four seasons, underlined by a 46 per cent strike-rate at the meeting. And Thompson held out the real possibility that dual festival hero Envoi Allen may be asked to join the fray in what is already a mouthwatering Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase, to avoid a clash with their defending Ryanair Chase winner Allaho.

Thompson and his mother Patricia have a host of fancied runners to look forward to, including Sunday's Tattersalls Novice Hurdle winner Sir Gerhard, and the Cheveley Park team is extremely hopeful A Plus Tard's class and consistency will see him go one better in five weeks' time.