The hard-to-train Hennessy Gold Cup winner Ever Blessed was given a clean bill of health yesterday. Mark Pitman has made no firm plans for the gelding, whom he described as being "like a fine piece of china".

But he stressed bookmakers were being "a little rash" to slash the seven-year-old's price for the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Ever Blessed has a history of training problems and did not work with another horse before his three-and-a-half length triumph over Spendid at Newbury.

Pitman spent several days deliberating whether the ground would be safe enough to run the gelding at Newbury.

But he said yesterday: "I'm very pleased with Ever Blessed. Chris Day came last night to give him some acupuncture and he came out this morning as well as we could have hoped.

"There are no definite targets. He's in the Welsh National, but we will have to see how we go. He isn't in the King George so we can't go down that route."

William Hill quote Ever Blessed at 25 to 1 for the Cheltenham Gold Cup, but his trainer added: "I think the bookmakers are a little rash - he has a long way to go yet."

Pitman was completing a family treble in the Hennessy after his father, Richard's, win as a jockey on Charlie Potheen in 1972 and mother, Jenny's, as a trainer with Burrough Hill Lad in 1984.

Pitman is already turning his thoughts to bidding for another big prize.

Monsignor, successful in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper last March and an impressive winner on his hurdling debut at Ascot last weekend, is entered in Friday's Grade Two Bovis Europe Winter Novices' Hurdle at Sandown.

His trainer said: "He's very well and it's quite likely he'll run. He's a high-class horse and zipped in the other day. Hopefully he can do the same again."

Meanwhile, Leading Pertemps King George VI Chase hope Looks Like Trouble was reported "in good shape" ahead of his return to action at Sandown.

Noel Chance is delighted with the condition of his stable-star, and he reckons Friday's Bovis Interiors Chase will put the gelding "cherry-ripe" for Kempton's Christmas feature.

Looks Like Trouble is 7 to 4 second-favourite for the King George with Coral after finishing third behind See More Business in last month's Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby.

"He is in good shape and he has done well since Wetherby," Chance said. "That race has brought him along a lot. This is the ideal race to put him cherryripe for the King George.

"At the weights he will probably be well-in as he only gets an 8lb penalty and the timing is right. I didn't want to run him in a handicap as they would go 100 miles an hour - and he has won round Sandown."

Norman Williamson will partner Looks Like Trouble but riding plans for Nicky Henderson's Stormyfairweather are up in the air as Mick Fitzgerald may forego the mount in order to ride stablemate Tiutchev at Exeter the same day.

King George VI Chase: Coral betting: 6-4 See More Business, 7-4 Looks Like Trouble, 7-1 Double Thriller, 10-1 Majadou, Simply Dashing, 12-1 Go Ballistic, 16-1 Imperial Call, Strong Promise, Djeddah, Stormyfairweather, 20-1 bar.

Nicky Henderson has given Get Real the go-ahead to take on the top two-milers in Saturday's Mitsubishi Shogun Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown.

He is stepping his dual Ascot handicap winner up in class but reckons that the eight-year-old is ready for his Grade One debut.

So Get Real will take on the likes of Direct Route and Flagship Uberalles at level weights rather than wait for another handicap at Ascot in December.