Bishop happy with Brook

Kevin Bishop is hoping to up Ashley Brook’s preparation for the Queen Mother Champion Chase in the next week now his star performer looks to have recovered from a knee injury.

The Somerset trainer may even be able to get a prep run over hurdles into the eight-year-old, who is a best-priced 8-1 for the two-mile championship at the Cheltenham Festival.

Ashley Brook was found to have damaged his off-fore knee after finishing second to Kauto Star in the Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown in early December.

“He’s been swimming twice a day because he had a cortisone injection and we didn’t want to give him weighted exercise until the cortisone had worn off,” said Bishop.

“We are going to pick him up at the end of the week and we should know more in a week.

“We are fairly optimistic. I rode him out last week and he seemed sound but the cortisone will have worn off now.

“He just had the one injection a month ago and that is guaranteed to have worn off by now.

“He should be all clear and we’ll have a straight run to Cheltenham.

“The only other possibility is that he has a light mark over hurdles and if he were to progress rapidly and I could get a prep run into him, I may possibly stick him in a handicap hurdle.”