Racing: Henderson hopeful for Tiutchev run

Nicky Henderson is hopeful of Tiutchev making the line-up for the Queen Mother Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival next week.

The nine-year-old was forced to miss the Ritz Club Chase at Ascot after falling ill with colic and it was initially thought he would definitely be ruled out of the Festival event.

He had only just returned to action with an impressive victory at Sandown having been off the track since last May due to two bad bouts of colic in the summer.

But he is continuing to please Henderson in his recovery and went well in a piece of work at Seven Barrows this morning.

‘‘He’s in good form and I’m very pleased,’’ the trainer said. ‘‘I’ve spoken to the owners and what I would say at the moment is that the odds of him running continue to keep going the other way whereas last weekend I said it was probably 75-25 then 60-40 against we are now getting into the realms of 75-25 that he will.

‘‘I have to go through a few more motions but his blood tests have come up very good in that it hasn’t shown any ill effect on that score, he certainly hasn’t shown anything in his work now so he’s starting again.

‘‘He is an extraordinary horse and will always be a law unto himself but he is nearly a horse that can talk to you.

‘‘And if he keeps telling me what he’s told us the last three days and that goes on until Saturday, I mean the one thing is certain that he will be confirmed on Friday.

‘‘He will school on Thursday and work again on Saturday. I appreciate every one wants to know and they have taken him out of the betting but it’s looking increasingly likely that he might make it and he wouldn’t go there unless I was very, very happy.’’