Celestial Gold returns at Hereford

High-class chaser Celestial Gold makes his eagerly-anticipated return to the track on Thursday in the Weatherbys Printing Novices’ Hurdle at Hereford.

David Pipe’s 10-year-old has not been seen since winning the Grade Two Betfair Bowl at Aintree in April 2006.

And while he may be starting off at a low level, Pipe has loftier targets in mind if all goes to plan – culminating in a tilt at the Cheltenham Gold Cup, in which he finished seventh behind Kicking King in 2005.

“It’s nice to get him back,” said Pipe.

“It’s a bit late to go novice hurdling with him as a 10-year-old but it is a good starting point so we’ll see how he gets on.

“He came from point-to-pointing but he schooled over hurdles before and he has been popping over them this week.

“He’s fit and well. Obviously he will come on for the run, but he has done plenty of work at home.

“As everybody knows it only seems to be the good ones that have problems but he doesn’t really help himself as he is very keen – at home and in his races.

“It is a bit of a worry every time he does a piece of work but you always worry after they have had an injury, he has done a lot of swimming though.

“If everything goes well we have entered him for the Gold Cup again and there is the old Pillar (the Letheby & Christopher Chase at Cheltenham) at the end of the month.

“We’ll get over tomorrow before we see where we go next.”