Paul Nicholls is keeping his fingers crossed a breathing operation will see Master Minded bounce back to his sparkling best later this season.
The dual Champion Chase winner won just one of his three starts last season and was well beaten into fourth when odds-on to complete a Cheltenham hat-trick.
A fractured rib was blamed for his defeat at the same track at the start of the campaign, but Nicholls feels his breathing could have been another factor in why he failed to show his best form.
"We had the problem with the fractured rib but I always felt there was more to it than that and there was always suspicions about his breathing," Nicholls told At The Races.
"At the back end of last season, just after his last run at Cheltenham, I heard him cantering a couple of times and I was convinced he was making a noise.
"So we got the experts in to have a look and they agreed, so we decided to do a breathing operation on him.
"It could change him but then again it might not, we'll just have to see - hopefully it will help him.
"A couple of times he's run at Cheltenham he hasn't acted as well and sometimes that happens when they're struggling with their breathing.
"He was very impressive on a flatter track like Newbury and that seems to help them a bit.
"I'm not saying it's conclusive, but it was something we couldn't not do."
Nicholls confirmed that What A Friend had also undergone a breathing operation.
