Kauto Star has moved closer to taking part in this month's Cheltenham Gold Cup after undergoing a lengthy training session this morning.

The Paul Nicholls-trained horse had been rated doubtful for the race following a fall last week.

However, Nicholls has revealed that the 12-year-old was taken out for a "strong canter" as he steps up his recovery.

"He had his physio and an hour on the walker, and then we gave him a strong canter over ten furlongs with That'll Do and Rowdy Rampage," Nicholls wrote in his Betfair column. "All was fine.

"We will look to step up his work next week, and I will give a further update tomorrow."

The French-bred horse has won the Gold Cup twice.