Cheltenham’s ground in March is likely to dictate whether Kripticjim runs in the Turners Novices’ Hurdle or the Albert Bartlett at the Festival in March.

Joe Tizzard’s six-year-old took his tally to three from four over timber in a Grade Two event on Saturday that was run in near darkness after starting almost 30 minutes later than advertised after a hole was discovered in the track.

At the finish of the extended two-and-a-half-mile contest it was Kripticjim, despite a mistake at the last, who just held off Ben Pauling’s Taurus Bay, with the stewards having to determine the outcome of the photo-finish from reviewing video footage due to the print being insufficiently clear.

Tizzard said: “He’s a lovely horse for the future, he’s improving and he improved all the way through his bumpers and with every run this season. I was surprised he was such a big price because what else could he have done really, he’d won at Ascot and at Newbury.

“He took a step forward on Saturday, he travelled really nicely and put it to bed well.

“It wasn’t like he’d been winning at small tracks and he’d been given a mark of 130, so I thought he’d be a shorter price. But I don’t bet so it didn’t affect me. I was chuffed to bits.”

He added: “We’ll see what the ground is like in March. He’s in both races, he travelled sweet for me at the weekend so he’s got the options.”