While victory at the Cheltenham Festival may have eluded Alan King for the second year in succession, last season was anything but a failure.
Showing he is still a force to be reckoned with, the Barbury Castle trainer passed the 100-winner mark for the first time since the 2008-2009 campaign, which included three Grade One triumphs.
Two of those top-level victories were gained courtesy of Yanworth and with a switch to fences now on the cards for the seven-year-old, King is optimistic the best is yet to come.
King said: "People said we shouldn't have run him in the Champion Hurdle, but he won a Christmas Hurdle and Kingwell and it would have been a brave decision to step him up three miles at Cheltenham when he had never been that far.
"It was disappointing in the Champion Hurdle, he was beaten a long way out but these things happen. He had to be tough at Aintree (Stayers Liverpool Hurdle). He battled and got the trip well.
"I've always felt this season he would be going chasing. He has had a few schools and has jumped very well. There is possibility he could go to Exeter at the end of the month and then there is one in early November as well.
"I would think around two and a half is where we will campaign this season. I don't think he will be an Arkle horse. We will see how it goes through the season, but he could be a JLT horse or an RSA horse."
King hopes Sceau Royal can establish himself as a leading contender for the Arkle after a winning debut over fences at Warwick.
"We always thought he would be very good over a fence and touch wood he has been," said King.
"Hopefully fences will continue to improve him as he is only five. I think he is a two-miler and if he is good enough we will aim for the Arkle.
"I would be thinking Cheltenham at the end of the month. It would be an option as if you can go around Warwick you can go anywhere."
Smad Place may now be in the twilight of his career, but King feels there could still be one last hurrah in the 2015 Hennessy hero before time is called on his successful career.
"He is grand and seems in good order. The plan is to start him off in the Charlie Hall (at Wetherby). I think it is a good starting point and we will try to get him fit for that," said King.
"There is no plan to retire him at the moment. He will tell us when he is ready. I would think this would be his last season, but he is not behaving like an old horse.
"Things will have to fall right for him. He is not well handicapped and is not good enough to take on the top boys any more. So we will duck and dive a bit with him."
Plenty of trainers will be hoping they have an ideal type for the newly-named Ladbrokes Trophy (formerly the Hennessy) and King is optimistic second-season chaser Label Des Obeaux can fit the criteria.
"I was delighted with his effort on Scottish Grand National day. I think we will work back from the Ladbrokes Trophy," said King.
"The one place I won't take him is Cheltenham as he has never run well there. He has actually finished distressed every time we have taken him there. We thought of running in the Scottish National last year and that is probably the sort of route we will go later on."
Regarding a potential star of the future, Perfect Harmony could well be a name to follow through the course of the campaign. The strapping five-year-old advertised his talents when making a winning debut at Newbury before finishing down the order in the Champion Bumper.
King said: "He is a fine, big horse. He won his bumper at Newbury, but it was too late in the season to send him over hurdles.
"We gave him one more run and I thought he ran pretty well in the Champion bumper. He will be ready to start later this month.
"He will start over two and a half, but he will get further. He has got a great attitude and you never know he is about the place."
Rest of King string
"He won his first two, then he got beat at Market Rasen. He was a little bit like Winter Escape as he came home very sick and we couldn't get him back last season. He has had a long break and looks the best he has ever looked. I'd imagine he would start off over two and half miles, but he probably would get a bit further."
"He won his only start in France in a bumper very impressively and will go novice hurdling. We like him a lot. He has been here a couple of months. He just works very well and looks like he could be high class. He will be out this month."
"I am sure he is crying out for a step up in trip as he has never been the quickest. He was a bit unlucky in the Fred Winter. He made a dreadful mistake at the top of the hill and stayed on really well. He is a tough individual."
"He has only recently arrived from Charlie Hills' yard. We will have to see what he is like. He was second behind a good horse of mine called Nathan at Newbury. It is early days and he could be one for juvenile hurdling this season."
"She is going to go chasing. She is a decent mare and has been placed in the last two renewals of the David Nicholson at the Festival. She is very good and is a consistent mare. I think two and a half suits her well, but she might get a bit further. She has always been a very good work mare."
"He has had his two runs in bumpers and will go hurdling now. He has grown a lot and will be ready to start later this month, over either two or two and a half."
"She is another that is going to go chasing. She was progressive last year and bolted up on her last start at Haydock on good ground over three miles. She is good enough to run over two and a half, but she got the three miles well at Haydock. I wouldn't want her and Dusky Legend to meet to early, but if you have some of those mares' Listed races they might have to."
"He has won his only bumper and looks a decent horse, but it is early days. He had a late break as he won his bumper in May. He has not been back cantering long and won't be seen until the second half of November. He might have another run in a bumper, we will see."
"I think the plan is to stay hurdling at the moment. It was a good performance at Kempton and he is a decent horse but he got hammered there and put up a lot. Hopefully he can be a decent handicapper."
"I think we will stay handicapping. He finished third at Ayr and went up a long way for that. He is off 141, which is high enough. Unfortunately he had to have a major wind operation at the beginning of last season. It is a pity as he will not be quite the horse he should have been. I feel he really was a proper horse, it was just a shame his wind went."
"He did well in the spring. He has won twice over hurdles, but is still a novice for the whole season. Because he was winning in May we gave him a late break. We will either go down the novice or the handicap route, we will just see where we are. Whether he would want winter ground, I'm not sure, as his form did improve on better ground."
"He will run in the Cesarewitch, then go back jumping over two and a half. He might stay a bit further and is a grand horse. You would probably aim him at the Coral Cup again unless you decide to go up in trip, then you would try to qualify for the Pertemps. I think he would be worth a try at three as he is not getting any quicker. Running in the long-distance races on the Flat probably just blunts him a bit."
"He will stay hurdling this season. He won well at Cheltenham, then I ran him back a bit in the Betfair Hurdle. I think that took the edge of him. He travels very well through his races, but the last two races he didn't get home. He is in good order and I would like to think we can get him ready for the Greatwood and go straight there."
"It just never happened for him last year. He was a very sick horse after the Greatwood. It took us all winter to get him back. He ran very well at the Festival but then disappointed again in the Scottish Champion Hurdle. It maybe just came a bit quick. He is a very good horse if we can get him right and we have changed a few things. I'd hope he can take to novice chasing well."
"We will probably stay hurdling as it didn't happen for him over fences last season as he just got on the floor a couple of times. I think there is a good handicap in him. I would like to go back over fences, but we will get a bit more experience into him first."
