King of Answers is likely to step up in trip and contest either the National Hunt Novices' Handicap Chase at the Cheltenham Festival or the Midlands National at Uttoxeter rather than bid to enhance his yard's excellent record in the Ultima Handicap Chase.
Lucinda Russell, who now trains in partnership with Michael Scudamore, has won three of the last four editions of the Ultima with dual winner Corach Rambler (2022 and 2023) and last year's winner Myretown.
King of Answers is following a similar route to the Festival as Myretown, who also contested the same novice handicap chase at Windsor's Berkshire Winter Millions meeting and then won a Timeform-sponsored handicap over nearly three miles at Kelso in mid-February.
Myretown won the Every Horse, Every Race, At Timeform.com Novices' Handicap Chase at Kelso 12 months ago, whereas King of Answers took on older rivals in open company in the Racing's Best Ratings With Timeform Handicap Chase on Friday. King of Answers was cut to a top price of 14/1 for the Ultima following his emphatic eight-and-half-length success, but, having stayed on strongly to win on testing ground, connections believe there could be further improvement to come over longer trips.
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Peter Scudamore, assistant trainer, said: "We're thinking of either the staying chase at Cheltenham over three-miles-six [the National Hunt Novices' Handicap Chase] or the Midlands National on the Saturday. He'll go for one of those, god willing, depending on how the ground is.
"We used to think he wanted better ground but I think he handles most ground as long as it's not too fast."
Scudamore added: "He might have an entry in the Ultima. But if he's going to win at Cheltenham or the Midlands National he has to find some improvement again and that could be in the distance he runs over."
King of Answers had finished only fourth of five at Windsor - albeit while running creditably - but he showed improved form at Kelso where he seemed to respond well to front-running tactics and the application of cheekpieces for the first time.
Scudamore believes the cheekpieces were key and said: "I don't think Windsor suited him, and putting on the cheekpieces made him jump better. He wouldn't be the first horse to do that [respond well to the headgear] as it made him braver.
"I couldn't believe how well he jumped, whereas at Windsor he was running into the bottom of them. At Windsor that might have been a combination of too quick a track and being a little bit timid at his fences."
On the Kelso display, Scudamore said: "He's not very quick and I felt the further he went the better he went. I'm perhaps looking through rose-tinted glasses but I thought he won a tad cosily and could have done more. I was very taken with his performance.
"He was second to Wendigo in a point-to-point and then it was a pretty good bumper he was third in. His form has always been good so I've always felt he's capable of going for a nice chase."
Over the past few years Russell's yard has established itself as the dominant stable in the North and Scotland. That status was achieved through high-profile victories, such as Corach Rambler's Grand National success, and also weight of winners, with only five trainers - all based in the South or Midlands - sending out more jumps winners in Britain last season.
It has been a testing season for the yard this time around, however, and prior to Friday the stable had registered only one jumps winner in Britain in 2026. A quick-fire treble on Friday put an end to the barren spell, though, and offers encouragement that a more productive period is around the corner.
Explaining the recent form, Scudamore said: "I felt the gallop wasn't right, it was too wet. We're lucky we have two gallops and we just changed them onto the other gallop and you could see it freshen them up a bit."
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