The Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle remains the most likely Cheltenham Festival target for Barters Hill following another determined success at Doncaster.

Ben Pauling's stable star stepped up to three miles for the first time in the Albert Bartlett trial on Town Moor last Saturday and while main market rival and Willie Mullins-trained Irish raider Up For Review seemingly ran below par, Barters Hill showed his trademark grit to stretch his unbeaten record to seven.

Pauling is still not ruling out dropping back in distance for the Neptune Investment Management Novices' Hurdle at Prestbury Park in March, but admits he was impressed with the Alan King-trained Yanworth in the Neptune trial at Cheltenham over the weekend and he is unlikely to let Barters Hill take him on unless conditions are extremely testing.

"He didn't race lazily and didn't hit his flat spot that he can do (at Doncaster). That was probably because the Mullins team decided the way to beat him was to take him on for the lead, and it actually kept him very honest the whole way," Pauling told At The Races.

"If I told you a 100-1 shot (Ami Desbois, third) was going to beat Up For Review, you'd tell me it was a muddling race and I think because they've gone so hard so early, it ended up being a funny result.

"The front two have almost cut each others throats a little bit and given the others a tow into the race, but Barters Hill found what's necessary to win whereas Up For Review has fallen by the wayside.

"I'm definitely in the camp that it's much more likely he's going to go three miles (at Cheltenham). I've entered him in both races because I'm still determined that if it does come up ridiculously soft at Cheltenham, two-mile-five in the Neptune would be far enough.

"The Albert Bartlett is just under three miles and the Neptune is just over two-five, so we're talking about a difference of a furlong and a half. It's really not that much of a difference.

"I was very impressed by Yanworth at the weekend - he was effortless. He looks to me like he might be that champion hurdler lurking in the Neptune.

"I think we would be vulnerable to a horse like that."