King favouring Festival novice option for The Glancing Queen

Smart mare also entered in Grade One heat.

Alan King may work back from the Daylesford Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival with The Glancing Queen.

The Barbury Castle trainer favours running the seven-year-old in the Grade Two novice contest rather than the Grade One Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle.

Having finished third in the Challow Hurdle at Newbury on her penultimate start, The Glancing Queen made it two wins from three starts over hurdles when she was dropped back to an extended two miles for an odds-on victory at Bangor last week.

King said: “The Glancing Queen was fine after her run at Bangor.

“I don’t know where we will go now, but I’d imagine we will try to find something next month.

“She is entered in the two-and-a-half-mile mares’ race at Cheltenham. But she is not slow, and she might be better against the novices, and I’m probably favouring that at the moment.”

Stablemate Canelo will bid to follow up his Rowland Meyrick victory at Wetherby on Boxing Day in the Listed Sky Bet Handicap Chase at Doncaster next week.

King added: “The Sky Bet has always been the plan since he won at Wetherby. He has had a little bit of a break and did his first piece of work on Friday.

“It was a good performance at Wetherby. He travelled very well, but he doesn’t do a lot in front – although it was another step in the right direction.”

King hopes recent Wincanton scorer On To Victory can creep into the bottom of the weights for the Betfair Hurdle at Newbury on February 13.

He added: “He made heavy weather of it at Wincanton, but he hated the ground. He jumped super, though, and that was the most important thing.

“We will aim him at the Betfair. But he might not get in it – 130 got in last year, and he is (rated) 129, so he is right on the cusp.

“If he doesn’t get in that, we will qualify him for that series where the final is at Sandown on Bet365 Gold Cup day.”

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Cheltenham Festival Alan King The Glancing Queen

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