Harbour Pilot on way back
Noel Meade’s 10-year-old has finished third in the last two Cheltenham Gold Cups but has not won for almost three years.
Harbour Pilot was pulled up in the John Durkan Memorial Chase at Punchestown last month and later underwent extensive heart tests, which failed to reveal any problem.
He was then due to run in the Lexus Chase - won by Beef Or Salmon - over Christmas but he failed to show any sparkle in the build-up to the race and did not make the line up.
However, Meade told Racing UK: “He seems fine. He’s back in full work again and I would hope he would run in the Hennessy in Leopardstown (February 6).
“If there was a possibility of running him somewhere where we might find something a bit easier maybe we could try and do that, because it would be nice to win a race and give him some confidence.
“He’s been bashing his head against the heavyweights for the last two seasons.”
Harbour Pilot is a top-priced 40-1 chance for the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup in March.
Meanwhile Meade also expressed his concerns over possible stamina limitations for Arch Rebel.
The four-year-old made an impressive start to his jumping career with a five-length victory over Don’t Be Bitin in a Grade Two contest at Leopardstown on St Stephen's Day.
As a result of that performance he was promoted to 12-1 favourite for the JCB Triumph Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.
Meade told Racing UK: “He looks to have all the credentials you’d like to have in a horse for the Triumph.
“But I would think the one chink in his armour for the Triumph was that maybe his best trip on the Flat was a mile and a quarter and I often think in the Triumph you need to stay a full mile and six because they go such a rattle and they come home so well.”
Arch Rebel, who was a useful performer on the Flat, has proved a natural since having his attentions turned to hurdles.
“We only started to school him in November but as soon as we started he was just magic and took to it like a duck to water,” Meade continued.
“When he went to Leopardstown his jumping was very good but he did get very tired. He jumped the last brilliantly though he was tired but the first two were a distance clear of the third.”
