Michael Hourigan will wait and see how Beef Or Salmon goes over the next week or so before committing his stable star to the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup at Leopardstown on Sunday week.
The eight-year-old was for a long time thought of as the biggest threat to Best Mate at Cheltenham in March but that position diminished following his below-par effort behind Henrietta Knight's star in the Ericsson Chase over Christmas.
A valid excuse subsequently emerged for his lacklustre run at Leopardstown, but Hourigan is determined not to rush his triple Grade One winner back to the track.
"He's in good form and it's possible he will run in the Hennessy. I just have to be very careful after he has had the mucus in his lungs," he said today.
"He's only two bits of work away from when he will run, it's just a case of when I do the work.
"I just want to be careful because I have been down that road before when horses have had mucus in their lungs. I've run them back too soon and paid the penalty.
"We'll wait and see what happens in the next fortnight."
Beef Or Salmon's six victories over fences include last year's Hennessy, where he belied his novice status to come home four lengths clear of Colonel Braxton.