Philip Hobbs has confirmed Wishfull Thinking will run in the sportingbet.com Queen Mother Champion Chase at next month's Cheltenham Festival.
Wishfull Thinking was second to Noble Prince in the Jewson Novices' Chase at Cheltenham last March but he has failed to reproduce that form in any of his four runs this season.
Sixth in the Paddy Power Gold Cup on his reappearance, he was fifth behind Sizing Europe in the Tingle Creek before showing a marked improvement to chase home Finian's Rainbow in the Desert Orchid Chase at Kempton.
However, once again he failed to deliver in the Victor Chandler Chase and Hobbs is unsure as to what to do with the nine-year-old.
A lack of options means he will head straight to Cheltenham without the aid of a prep run and his Festival target has been confirmed as the Queen Mother Champion Chase.
"Realistically three of his four runs this season have been disastrous and the run at Kempton when he was second was very good indeed. He's more confusing than Captain Chris," the trainer told At The Races.
"The only thing we can put it down to is his breathing. We've done what we can with that so I think he's going to go straight for the Champion Chase due to lack of options.
"Like Captain Chris the trip he needs is debatable. He ran well over two miles at Kempton so I think we'll stick to that trip."