Dan Skelton won't commit Kabral Du Mathan to the Cheltenham Festival but admitted the forecast is in his favour.
The six-year-old has impressed since joining the Warwickshire handler this season, winning a Haydock handicap by 12 lengths on his seasonal reappearance before successfully stepping up to Grade 2 company in the Dornan Engineering Relkeel Hurdle at Cheltenham.
Those contests were over two miles three furlongs and two miles five furlongs, raising the possibility that Skelton could be persuaded to dip his toe into the Stayers' Hurdle pool.
Initially reluctant to do so, Skelton has warmed to the possibility but stressed when talking to the Nick Luck Daily Podcast that he was keen to be cautious.
"We're more likely to run at this point than we ever have been but I don't want to be the guy that says 'we're 100% running' and get to the eleventh hour and say 'oh the ground's a little soft'," he said.
"I want to take everything into consideration. I've worked him and prepared him as if we are running."
Skelton wouldn't want to see testing conditions for Kabral Du Mathan but the weather is trending in the right direction for his aspiring star.
"If the long range forecast is accurate and the ground is good-to-soft, maybe a little softer in the odd spot, then we'll take our chance. What I don't want to do with a young horse like this is run him and wish I hadn't.
"It's going to be a hard race and I don't want to give him that type of race in really soft/heavy conditions and undo the horse's future."
Kabral Du Mathan is 5/1 for the Paddy Power Stayers' Hurdle in the sponsors' non-runner no bet ante-post market.
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