The Ladbrokes King George VI Chase remains the likely plan for Altior despite his defeat at Ascot on Saturday.
Nicky Henderson's charge lost his unbeaten record over obstacles when failing to reel-in Cyrname, stepped up to two-and-a-half miles for the first time in the Christy 1965 Chase at the Berkshire track.
Connections initially blamed the testing ground and a lack of fitness for the defeat, and still feel they were the main contributing factors.
Writing in his Unibet blog on Sunday, the trainer said: "I am pleased to report that Altior is absolutely fine this morning after his gallant run in defeat at Ascot yesterday and has eaten everything put out in front of him; he also trotted up completely sound which is the main thing.
"I have no doubt he got the trip but on that ground it was ultimately match race fitness that took its toll as he’d had no ‘away days’ or racecourse gallops, so I’d like to think he will improve for the run anyway.
"Without looking for excuses, I don’t really think he travelled with his usual zest and to be honest I thought Nico would have trouble holding him, therefore I suspect the ground does have something to do with it but we’ll get him fully checked over on Monday morning, purely as a precautionary measure, and evaluate the situation after that.
"He did his level best, as always, but, as I feared would have to happen one day, he got beaten by a better horse on the day, and that’s what horse racing is all about. Take nothing away from Cyrname, he is a very talented animal and deserves the plaudits he gets.
"I’ve just had a long chat with Pat Pugh and she’s great about the whole thing; very philosophical as always, and we’re certainly not ruling anything in or out. Where we go next I don’t know, but I definitely wouldn’t rule out the King George as that has always been the long term plan, although if it is really heavy ground perhaps we would have to reconsider but I’d have no qualms about taking on Cyrname again.
"I’d say Kempton is the most likely next stop if he’s fit and well but it all depends on how long it takes to get over this; if it’s two months, then that’s how long it will take. He puts a lot into his races, literally his heart and soul, which is why he’s so good, so he’ll be given as much time as is required."
