Cole Harden© Photo Healy Racing
Warren Greatrex will keep Cole Harden going through the early months of the new season after outlining plans to switch him back to fences.
The Upper Lambourn handler plans to give the 2015 World Hurdle winner, who finished second on his sole start over fences at Wetherby in December, an entry in a beginners' chase at Ffos Las on May 9.
After finishing fourth in the Stayers' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in March, the eight-year-old was then pulled up after going lame in a Grade One contest at Aintree last month.
Greatrex said: "He came back lame and we thought something had to be amiss as he just doesn't run like that.
"He was behaving peculiar in the paddock before the race. He was bucking and swishing his tail and he looked uncomfortable.
"He had bone scans and X-rays afterwards and we found out that he has bone pain in all his fetlocks.
"We were looking at giving him long break, but having discussed it with the vets, we have come to the plan that we are going to treat it with medication and monitor him and keep him on the move.
"He is going to have an entry in a beginners chase at Ffos Las on May 9.
"He is not easy to train because of the breathing issues and body issues he has had and I just felt after discussing it with the vets, if I stop with him we might never get him back as he is hard to get fit.
"At this time of year you would like to think he could win a beginners chase around Ffos Las, even though he didn't take quite take to it as well as I thought he would first time over fences.
"I think we will just keep tipping away with him. If he wins a beginners chase then we will maybe look for another one."
Greatrex revealed that plans are in place to send One Track Mind on his travels again, with an outing in the Grande Course de Haies d'Auteuil - the French Champion Hurdle - now on the radar.
After two lacklustre attempts over fences, the seven-year-old finished a creditable fifth on his return to hurdles in a Grade One at Punchestown last week.
Greatrex added: "One Track Mind was a non-event last season. I was very happy with his run at Punchestown with it coming off the back of two poor runs over fences.
"He was not far off fourth and in hindsight, if we made a little bit more use of him mid-race, he could have been closer to the third.
"I just don't see any point stopping him and he will now go for the French Champion Hurdle in June. It is worth a lot of prize-money and the plan now is to go straight there with him."
