Connections of Royale Pagaille are going for gold at the 2021 Cheltenham Festival.
The progressive novice will run in the feature WellChild Gold Cup on Friday, instead of Tuesday's National Hunt Chase.
Unbeaten in three starts this season, Venetia Williams' chaser was ante-post favourite for the latter, the longest race at the the four-day meeting.
Reported by the Racing Post, Joe Chambers, racing manager for owner Rich Ricci, said: "He's rated 166, whether he merits it or not time will tell, but we might as well find out in the Gold Cup than elsewhere and wonder whether should we had.
"He's been the surprise of the season and it's something to look forward to."
Royale Pagaille will be bidding to become the first novice to win the feature race of the Festival since Coneygree in 2015.
He won his last race, the Grade 2 Peter Marsh Handicap Chase, by 16 lengths – but all of his form has come with plenty of cut in the ground.
The going on the Old and New courses was Good to Soft on Sunday morning, with occasional showers in the forecast.
Gold Cup hat-trick seeker Al Boum Photo heads the market for the big race on March 19.
