Might Bite© Photo Healy Racing
Champion Hurdle hero Buveur D'Air and Cheltenham Gold Cup favourite Might Bite are set for a racecourse gallop after racing at Kempton on Saturday.
Trainer Nicky Henderson revealed during a media morning at Seven Barrows on Tuesday that he would like to give Buveur D'Air an away day ahead of the defence of his crown at the Cheltenham Festival in less than three weeks' time, but plans for a spin prior to racing at Kempton were in doubt, with the forecast of sub-zero temperatures meaning course officials would be keen to leave frost covers down for as long as possible.
However, the champion trainer on Thursday confirmed his intention to work Buveur D'Air once the card comes to a close and he will be joined by his King George-winning stable companion Might Bite.
A statement posted on Henderson's Twitter feed read: " As I mentioned earlier this week, I'd like to get a crucial piece of work into Buveur D'Air and Might Bite ahead of their respective challenges at Cheltenham, so I intend to gallop both of them after racing at Kempton on Saturday.
"If the ground is much quicker than good to soft it is not guaranteed that Buveur will work, hopefully the surface will be soft enough, and we will be monitoring the situation through the afternoon, but it will still do him the world of good to have an away day where he can strut his stuff around the paddock and get a good feel for the raceday atmosphere and keep him on the ball.
"Might Bite schooled beautifully this morning and I'm very happy with where we are with him, but a racecourse gallop will also be beneficial for him in the lead up to the Gold Cup.
"There will also be another dozen or so Cheltenham-bound horses working on the Kempton all-weather on Tuesday, including My Tent Or Yours, as he, and the rest of the squad, love getting away for a day and it gives them some oomph going into the Festival."
