Alan King is keen to see how Yanworth fares in the Neptune Investment Management Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham tomorrow having not come off the bridle in three runs this season to date.
Fourth in the Champion Bumper at the Festival last March, he looks set to take high rank over timber for JP McManus.
Stepped up in class last time out at Ascot he was even more impressive, but that was over two miles and it is on the advice of jockey Barry Geraghty that he steps up in trip this weekend.
King said: "He's won his first three over hurdles over two miles. It's his first time at this trip and he hasn't really been tested yet.
"We ran him in the graded race at Ascot before Christmas, hoping that might tell us something, but he never came off the bridle again.
"Barry just feels that two miles on goodish ground at Cheltenham, they could go a bit quick for him so we'll try him at two and a half and see how that goes."
On the question of stamina, King told Racing UK: "I'd imagine he should stay, if you'd asked me at the start of the season I would have said he'd definitely want two and a half, but he seems to have a lot more speed this season as he's strengthened and matured."
Another unbeaten youngster in the field is Neil Mulholland's Shantou Village, already a Cheltenham winner back in November, but all his winning has been done on good ground.
He has won a point-to-point, a bumper, a novice hurdle and a Grade Two.
Mulholland feels he may need three miles in time and At Fishers Cross won this before taking the Albert Bartlett at the Festival in 2013, as did Bobs Worth in 2011.
Ruby Walsh, over to ride Djakadam in the BetBright Trial Chase, takes the mount.
"With his knee action I think he is better on better ground, but you can't knock it until you try it," said Mulholland.
"He's not done anything wrong and there's nothing to say he won't go through heavy or soft ground.
"He's had a couple of runs and his win at Cheltenham in November was very good. The plan was always to come back for trials day and then to the Festival.
"The ground hadn't anything to do with it. He's a horse that is still improving and we feel he's got stronger since November and the more time we can give him the better he's going to be. We feel there is more to come.
"We're pretty confident he'll stay three miles in the future, but does he need to go over three miles this year?
"We'll know more on Saturday and the intention would be to go to Cheltenham over the shorter distance just to find out a bit more about him."
Charmix has only lost once over timber and that was to the smart Modus. Harry Fry's charge was a 17-length winner last time out.
"We thought we would keep stepping him up in trip as he is a three mile point-to-pointer and Saturday looks the right race for him," said Fry.
"It is obviously a hugely competitive race, but we know he acts well in testing conditions and it will be interesting to see how he gets on."
Warren Greatrex's Chef D'Oeuvre also looks to have a bright future.
A point winner, he won by 28 lengths from a decent type when last seen at Lingfield.
"He was very impressive at Lingfield and he's been really well since," said the Lambourn handler.
"It's a bit of a fact-finding mission as we don't really know how good he is and we'll find out what level we're at.
"He'll have to step up on what he did at Lingfield, obviously."
David Pipe's Champers On Ice has won three out of four but was no match for Shantou Village in November. He has looked improved since then, though.
"He's done very well so far and we've been happy with him since his last run," said Pipe.
"He's in good form at home, but it is a very hot race and he'll have to improve again if he's going to win."
Ben Pauling has declared Grade One winner Barters Hill but only as a second preference as it is his intention to head to Doncaster.