Prince is out to prove he's not wayward

The seven-year-old signed off last season with a Grade One novice hurdle win at Aintree and is unbeaten in two starts since having his attentions switched to fences.

"He's done very well this year and we were delighted to see him win at Cheltenham last time," said Williams.

"We didn't have any real intention of running him over Christmas, so he had a bit of a freshen-up time.

"There's a possibility that he'll run at Warwick next Saturday in a three-mile novice chase, or he could go to Wetherby a couple of weeks later for the race Weird Al won last year (Towton Novices' Chase]. We want to end up in the RSA Chase."

Williams was also able to provide a positive update on Weird Al, who had a hobday operation after disappointing in the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury in November.

"We were all a bit disappointed after Newbury and I felt he was quite nicely handicapped, but he didn't run his race that day," Williams said.

"We discovered that his larynx was marginally paralysed and he needed a hobday operation. That was carried out shortly after the Hennessy and he's back in work now," he continued.

"He would appear to have taken the operation very well and is in very good nick.

"There is an awful lot of good racing to come and, if we can get him right, I'm sure he'll be competing in some of those big races."