A decision on Best Mate's participation in the Pertemps King George VI Chase at Kempton on St Stephens Day will be made on Tuesday.
Henrietta Knight's dual Tote Cheltenham Gold Cup winner is also entered in the Ericsson Chase at Leopardstown two days later, with ground conditions likely to prove the deciding factor.
Speaking at Ascot races, Best Mate's owner Jim Lewis told BBC Sport: "Hen and I and Terry (Biddlecombe) will probably make our minds up on Tuesday because what happens is that you keep having these discussions and you come back to where you were.
"In the end I said to Hen `I tell you what, let's wait now until Tuesday'. There's three of us, so there's going to be a decision whatever happens."
Best Mate was surprisingly beaten by Jair Du Cochet in the Peterborough Chase on his reappearance and looking up at the rain, Lewis continued: "Things are changing all the time, but we've still got this thing about Huntingdon in our brain, where it was good ground and then it became sludge.
"He's got to run somewhere. It's very necessary he has this outing and if it was at Kempton, whatever finished behind him may as well stay at home for the Gold Cup."
The ground at Kempton is currently described as good on the chase course.
PA