Flow handed Betfred entry

Strong Flow, winner of the 2003 Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup, could return to big-race action in the Betfred Gold Cup.

The 10-year-old was trained by Paul Nicholls to win at Newbury but he subsequently fractured a knee when winning the Grade One Feltham Novices’ Chase the same year.

Strong Flow returned to finish sixth in the 2005 Cheltenham Gold Cup and was then retired by owner Barry Marshall.

However, Strong Flow is now back in training with Dessie Hughes and Marshall is looking forward to seeing him back on the track soon.

He told the Racing Post: “He has been with Dessie Hughes for four to five weeks and although we are taking things slowly, he has been very pleased with him.

“The plan is to go for a point-to-point, a hunter chase and then one of the bigger races.

“He has made a remarkable recovery during the time off, supervised by my wife Barbara, and he has come back better than we would have thought.

“The Betfred may come a bit soon, but it is not too bad a timescale and he is pretty fit.”