Pilot on the way back

Harbour Pilot remains on course for a clash with Beef Or Salmon in the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup at Leopardstown next month.

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.