Coneygree© Photo Healy Racing
Sara Bradstock reports it to be "all systems go" for Coneygree's intended appearance in the Hennessy Gold Cup next Saturday after delighting connections in a crucial Sunday gallop.
The Cheltenham Gold Cup winner made an emphatic return to action at Sandown earlier in the month to set him up perfectly for the prestigious Newbury handicap.
His participation was thrown into doubt when he spread a plate on Monday morning, but an improvement in his condition meant a shoe was put on the afflicted foot on Thursday and he came through his first workout since with flying colours.
Bradstock, assistant trainer to husband Mark, said: " I'm very happy this morning. He worked very well, I rode him myself and he seems to be flying, so it's all systems go.
"Nico (de Boinville, jockey) will come in and school him on Tuesday, just to make absolutely sure everything is fine, but at the moment everything looks very good.
"If you knew how lame he was at the start of the week, it's incredible that he's back in fighting form again so quickly. The whole family are a bunch of wusses and he did make the most terrible fuss about it and go t himself in a tizz!
"It was obviously quite painful, but he only actually missed two days and I couldn't have been more delighted with him this morning - he worked absolutely fantastic."
Despite the upbeat bulletin, Bradstock was keen to add a note of caution.
She said: "We're not totally out of the woods as there is always a chance a bit of pus might come out of the foot at some stage in the next day or two.
"I'm not promising there is no chance he won't run next week, but everything looks very good at the moment."
Bradstock was an interested observer on Saturday as a couple of potential threats to Coneygree's Gold Cup crown strutted their stuff.
The Willie Mullins-trained Vautour was workmanlike in making a successful reappearance at Ascot, while Colin Tizzard's stable star Cue Card was a brilliant winner of the Betfair Chase at Haydock.
Both are bound for the King George VI Chase and although he would have to be supplemented after missing the initial entry stage by mistake, Coneygree could yet turn turn up for the Kempton feature if coming out of the Hennessy in good shape.
Bradstock said: "You couldn't be all that impressed with Vautour on Saturday, but then again Faugheen got beat the previous week, so maybe some of Willie's horses aren't quite right, I don't know.
"Cue Card was dead impressive and I'm pleased we're not having to give him weight in the Hennessy. I'm sure we'll meet him somewhere, but we obviously hope he might succumb to our gallop.
"I still can't quite believe we won the Gold Cup, so I see them all as threats.
"Let's get next weekend out of the way first, but I wouldn't be afraid to take them on at Kempton. Having said that, we keep getting the call from Ireland asking us to go to the Lexus and that might be the more sensible thing to do.
"We're just concentrating on next week at the moment and, as always, we'll be guided by how the horse is."
