The Silviniaco Conti Chase at Kempton is next on the agenda for Laura Morgan’s Paddy Power Gold Cup runner-up Notlongtillmay.

The seven-year-old won his first three starts over fences last season before outrunning odds of 40-1 when second to Stage Star in the Turners Novices’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.

Having made a promising return when fourth at Prestbury Park in October, Notlongtillmay was well fancied for one of the season’s feature handicaps earlier this month – and while he was again no match for the impressive Stage Star, the Malinas gelding was comfortably best of the rest.

Morgan considered sending her stable star back to Cheltenham for next month’s December Gold Cup, but will instead keep her powder dry for the new year.

“He seems to have come out of the race well. He bumped into one a bit better than him, but he’s run really well and we’re all delighted to have a horse to take us to these big days,” she said.

“I entered him for the December race and then I pulled him out because I just thought I’d be too tempted to run him.

“He had a hard enough race, I felt, at Cheltenham, so I thought we’d maybe wait and go to Kempton for the Silviniaco Conti Chase on January 13.

“Whether we step him up in trip after Kempton, I’m a bit undecided on that. The Ryanair Chase, I would say, would be the plan.

“It’s so hard to find horses like this, even for the bigger trainers. It’s great for a small yard like ours to have a horse to go to the big days and be competitive as well.”

Morgan also saddled Whistleinthedark to finish eighth in the Paddy Power Gold Cup.

A progressive chaser last term, the eight-year-old is now being readied for a step up in trip.

Morgan added: “I thought he ran a lovely race, it was obviously his first run back and I don’t think he quite went on the track.

“I think we’ll probably keep him to a flat, galloping track in the future, but he ran well, especially after making a howler of a mistake four out – I don’t know how Kevin (Brogan) stayed on him, to be honest.

“I think he’ll go to Doncaster on December 16 for a 0-150 handicap chase over three miles. Hopefully he’ll go well, as I think he should be better over the longer trip.”

Laura Morgan could be set for the biggest day of her training career so far at Cheltenham on Saturday as she prepares to fire a twin assault on the Paddy Power Gold Cup.

The Waltham On The Wolds handler enjoyed her best ever season last term with a tally of 40 winners, seven of which were provided by the two horses she saddles in this weekend’s prestigious handicap.

Morgan is not expecting such a prolific campaign this term, but is hopeful she can make her presence felt on the big stage.

She said: “Last season, we had 40 winners and a lot more horses in, whereas this year we’ve only got 25 horses to run and 10 three-year-olds.

“I bought some three-year-olds with nice pedigrees that will hopefully be nice horses for next year, that’s the idea.

“We’re not going to have the season we had last year, but I’ve tried to up the quality and hopefully we can have runners on the bigger days.”

The stable’s first string on Saturday appears to be Notlongtillmay, who won his first three starts over fences last term before filling the runner-up spot behind the reopposing Stage Star in the Turners Novices’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival in March.

The seven-year-old returned to Prestbury Park for his seasonal reappearance in a two-mile handicap chase last month – and having finished a creditable fourth under the welter burden of 12 stone, Morgan feels he is cherry-ripe for his latest big-race assignment.

“Two miles is way too short and I’d left him short enough as well – it wasn’t like he was fully tuned up for that,” she added.

“I was going to go to Wetherby for a two-and-a-half-mile race on the Friday of the Charlie Hall meeting, but obviously that was abandoned, so thank God I actually gave him a prep run before then.

“This was the aim, we’re 3lb better off with Stage Star and Stage Star isn’t going to get an easy lead like he did in the Turners – there’s going to be a lot of pace in this on Saturday.

“With The Real Whacker running, our lad goes in there with a nice racing weight (11st 4lb) and he’ll go through the (soft) ground, that wouldn’t worry me at all.”

Notlongtillmay’s stablemate Whistleinthedark also enjoyed an excellent first season over fences, climbing from a mark of 113 to his current perch of 144 with four wins from four starts.

He has not been seen in competitive action since scoring at Perth in late April, but Morgan is confident he is ready enough to do himself justice.

She said: “I had planned to give him a prep run – he was going to go to Market Rasen for the Prelude (Handicap Chase), but it was abandoned.

“I’m not too fussed about not getting a run in as he’s done a lot of work at home. We’ve got a two-mile grass gallop and he’s fairly ready without having had that run to sharpen him – he’s not far away.

“I never thought he’d be rated what he’s rated and would do what he did when he first arrived. I thought he’d be an average, fun, handicapper, but he’s been brilliant.”

Morgan is fully aware that winning one of the season’s biggest prizes is no easy task and she is just pleased to be heading to the Cotswolds with a fighting chance.

She added: “They’re all up against it, not just us, but it’s very exciting for a small yard like ours and fingers crossed they’ll both go and run well.

“They won’t let us down, anyway – these two don’t know how to!”