Brook Heading Straight To Cheltenham

Ashley Brook is likely to head straight to Cheltenham for the Queen Mother Champion Chase after spending the last couple of weeks on the easy list.

Kevin Bishop´s stable star has been rested since his second place behind Kauto Star in the William Hill - Tingle Creek Trophy at Sandown earlier this month.

'We will just take it easy and start him swimming during the next week or two and gradually build him up. Rather than risk a prep race we will probably go straight to Cheltenham,' Bishop told At The Races.

The seven-year-old had previously taken third in the William Hill Haldon Gold Cup and it is that Exeter race where Bishop believes his Grade One novice winner picked up the injury.

'I think the problem probably goes back to Exeter when he made a mistake at the last down the back,' Bishop continued.

'He appeared fine after the race, but he did keep flexing one foreleg a little which isn´t unusual as he does suffer from sore shins.

'He did all of his work OK and ran his race at Sandown, but within a couple of days he kept flexing his knee and just seemed a bit uneasy.

'We couldn´t find anything - the vet examined it and the leg was clean and we couldn´t find any heat anywhere.

'X-rays were also clear, but when we gave him a local anaesthetic and nerve-blocked him working our way up the leg, he was definitely easier when it was injected into his knee.

'The vet then thought it wise to box rest him for a couple of weeks and give him something to rebuild the cartilage in his knee. That appears to have gone well and he seems to be a lot easier on the knee and doesn´t flex it as much now.

'We won´t know for sure until the treatment has completely warn off, but I would be optimistic that there is nothing there to see and no injury as such to look at.'

? PA Sport