Champion jumps trainer Paul Nicholls will take a smaller team to Cheltenham than last season, but is convinced quality is not in short supply.

Heading the list is Silviniaco Conti, the pre-post favourite for the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Although the nine-year-old has failed in two previous attempts to win the blue riband of jumps racing, his trainer believes it could be a different story on March 13.

Since losing his first race of the season, Silviniaco Conti has gone from strength to strength, winning the Grade One Betfair Chase at Haydock and William Hill King George VI Chase at Kempton.

"He's been unlucky at Cheltenham in the past," Nicholls said.

"He ran well when beaten in the International Hurdle and he was travelling well when he fell in the Gold Cup two years ago.

"Last year he jumped the last in front but he was just not finishing his races.

"He looks way better than he did this time last year and he is in really good order.

"If he wins a Gold Cup he will cement himself as one of the best."

"We are a bit light on the novice hurdlers this year, but I would probably say it is as good a squad as we've had.

"This year I don't want to run horses at the Festival just for a day out so I will have a more select team and certainly less than the 36 runners I had in 2014."