Warren Greatrex is leaning towards pitching progressive novice hurdler Ma Du Fou into handicap company for the first time at the Grand National Festival at Aintree in April.
Although the six-year-old is entered in the Neptune Investment Management Hurdle at next month's Cheltenham Festival, the Upper Lambourn handler feels he may not be mentally ready for such a test at this stage of his career.
Despite being turned over at short odds on his two hurdle starts last season, Ma Du Fou has won each of his three outings this campaign, with the most recent victory coming in the Listed Sidney Banks Memorial Novices' Hurdle at Huntingdon earlier this month.
Greatrex said: "We've not had a major discussion with the owners, but he is a horse that mentally is still quite babyish. Do I think that Cheltenham is just maybe a little bit too much for him this year? I think it possibly is.
"I also think Aintree would suit him very well. Whether I go for one of the novices' as he ran in the Sidney Banks off 137 and they put him up two - a gain it's telling me that I've got to look at one of the handicaps.
"A two-and-a-half-mile handicap round Aintree would be right up his street. That's what I'm thinking as it also gives him a bit longer between that run at Huntingdon and then.
"It would be great to go with all these horses to Cheltenham, but you have just got to think what would suit them best. Aintree is a flat track, left-handed so it would be right up his street."
While a final decision is yet to be made as to where Ma Du Fou ends up, Greatrex stated unbeaten mare La Bague Au Roi remains on course to take her place in his Aintree team as she bids to make it four wins from as many starts.
He said: "She has won three from three, all very impressively. She won the Listed race at Huntingdon last time and won it very well from the front, which wasn't the plan. She did it well and I don't think she was on her A game that day.
"We've given her a really long break and she will go for the mares' bumper at Aintree in April. I might give her a racecourse gallop to stop her being so fresh.
"She is a very easy horse to train and we have just been trying to keep a lid on her the whole winter, which has been the whole issue as she is quite flamboyant in everything she does.
"We've just started cranking her work up now. Physically she has done very well and she is high-class. I hold her in very high regard. If you see her on the gallops she is like a supermodel, she just floats everywhere."