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Paul Nicholls earmarked the Denman Chase at Newbury as a possible target for last year’s Gold Cup runner-up Bravemansgame.

The Paul Nicholls-trained charge has filled second-place on all three starts this season but the trainer believes things could have been slightly different in the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day, had he not been hampered by Shishkin's departure two fences from home.

Nicholls had suggested his nine-year-old would head straight to Cheltenham in his bid to go one better in the blue ribbon showpiece, but speaking on his Betfair blog on Monday morning, he admitted the Bryan Drew-owned runner could take a different route to Prestbury Park this season.

He said: "He's come out of the race very well actually, he's had an easy time and has kept his condition this year better than ever before," said the champion trainer.

"There's lots of debate going on about who would have won and I think if Shishkin and Bravemansgame hadn't got in a bit of a muddle, it would have been really interesting. He (Bravemansgame) definitely showed signs he's coming back to his best and I think it would have been very close.

"I was going to go straight to Cheltenham and I haven't spoken to Bryan (Drew, owner), but I've spoken to Clifford (Baker, head lad) and I said 'look, every time we went to the Gold Cup with Kauto Star or Silviniaco Conti or Denman, we always ran in the Denman Chase en-route to Cheltenham'.

"I just thought why not change tack a little bit and rather than being too hard on him at home, keep him nice and fresh and have a look, possibly, at the Denman Chase and then go on to Cheltenham.

"The Denman Chase is a possibility, I'm not saying it's definite, but we could try to do something different with him and train him a little bit differently."

The Denman Chase will take place at Newbury on 10th February.