Sprinter Sacre confirmed for Ascot return at Sodexo Clarence House Chase
Trainer Nicky Henderson has, however, repeatedly stated he does not want to bring his stable star back on unsuitably heavy ground after over a year off the track, but plenty of rain has been forecast this week.
Sprinter Sacre has undergone extensive treatment in an effort to get him back to his brilliant best after he was pulled up with a fibrillating heart at Kempton in December 2013.
A racecourse gallop at Newbury, where he schooled over some fences, convinced Henderson the nine-year-old was on the right road.
But while it is still the intention to run this weekend, the Game Spirit Chase at Newbury on February 7 is the back-up plan.
Big-race jockey Barry Geraghty was on board for his gallop at Newbury and has his fingers crossed not too much rain falls between now and Saturday.
Geraghty said: “The forecast is pretty wet and it just depends how bad it gets, we wouldn’t want it too heavy.
“He’s in good form, Nico (de Boinville) schooled him on Friday morning. I wasn’t there, but the reports were good.
“I could understand why the bookmakers cut him (after his Newbury schooling session), even though it wasn’t a race.
“He looked well and he showed there he seems to be reasonably well in himself.”
Amongst his potential opponents are Tingle Creek winner Dodging Bullets, Somersby, who claimed this Grade One in 2012, Richard Lee’s Grey Gold and the Willie Mullins-trained Twinlight.
Sprinter Sacre’s stablemate French Opera has also been confirmed.
One rival who will not be travelling over from Ireland is Sizing Europe, with connections cool on the idea of running him in testing conditions.
“There aren’t too many options for him at this time of year so we could end up waiting until the spring with him,” trainer Henry de Bromhead said.
“We could wait for the festivals with him. He could go to Cheltenham, but he might wait for a Grade Two at Fairyhouse, too.
“It will be up to Ann and Alan (Potts, owners) what we do with him.”
Conditions at Ascot are currently described as good to soft, soft in places.
Meanwhile Champion Hurdle aspirant Irving could return to action in the Bathwick Tyres Kingwell Hurdle at Wincanton on February 14.
The Paul Nicholls-trained seven-year-old has endured a stop-start campaign thus far, suffering a heavy fall on his reappearance in Wincanton’s Elite Hurdle before a sound victory in the Fighting Fifth at Newcastle.
He was expected to at least give Faugheen something to think about in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton on Boxing Day, but was pulled up before the home straight and it later emerged he was suffering from a foot problem.
Dan Downie, racing manager for the Axom syndicate, said: “He’s fine again now and is back in the swing of things. Everyone is very happy with him at the moment.”
