Trainer Nicky Henderson is still yet to make a final decision on whether Sprinter Sacre will run again, with the AP McCoy Celebration Chase at Sandown the probable target.
Henderson is waiting to see how his nine-year-old charge shows up on the gallops in the next couple of weeks, with Sprinter Sacre having faced potential retirement after pulling up in the Queen Mother Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.
And Henderson will give his horse the best possible opportunity to run again, as he explained: “We still have two and a half weeks to go, but I have to say he really has bloomed since Cheltenham and looks a million dollars.
“If we are going to run him again, there is only one opportunity to do so and the horse will tell me whether he wants to do it or not.
“At the moment, the vibes are good. If he tells me he wants to go to Sandown he will and if he tells me he doesn’t he won’t.
“The horse will make the final decision. Whether he makes the right decision or not is another thing.”
Meanwhile, Henderson does not have a runner in contention to win the Grand National at Aintree on Saturday, with Shutthefrontdoor 8.00 to give retiring champion jockey AP McCoy a winning send-off.
Henderson has yet to taste success in the National, but he has won the Cheltenham Gold Cup on two occasions, with Long Run triumphing in 2011 and Bobs Worth repeating the trick two years later.
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