Colm Murphy has warned ante post punters not to read too much into Big Zeb’s defeat in the Tied Cottage Chase at Punchestown two weeks ago.

The trainer admitted that while he was disappointed to see his stable star finish second to Golden Silver in the Grade One showpiece, he is still thrilled with Big Zeb’s preparation for the Festival.

Murphy explained:  "He's very good and came out of the race really well.  We couldn't have been happier with him. We were disappointed with the result, but he ran a blinder. Everything has gone to plan and it's all systems go for Cheltenham,” Murphy explained.

"We've probably got a better run with him this year. Things went a little bit haywire last year after Sandown. He had a bone problem and he had a twitch of arthritis, but we've been lucky and able to keep on top of that.

"Things have gone really well with him and if we could have changed the result the last day everything would have gone to plan. We were disappointed to get beat but we weren't disappointed the way he ran so in that sense we couldn't be happier."

Murphy also commented on how strong this year’s Champion Chase field looks and continued:  "As well as Master Minded, there's the likes of Somersby and Woolcombe Folly. They are on the upgrade and likely to improve as the year goes on. If they keep improving they are definitely major players as well.

"I wouldn't want to swap my horse for anything else in the race at the moment, but I do have major respect for all the other horses."