Caldwell Potter is set to return from nearly 600 days on the sidelines in this month's Betfair Chase at Haydock Park.
The eight-year-old missed the entirety of last season through injury having ended his novice chase campaign with victories in a Cheltenham Festival handicap and a Grade 1 at Aintree, but is reported to be in good shape by trainer Paul Nicholls.
Haydock's Betfair Chase on November 21 is the first top-class chase domestically and while admitting his promising grey might not be at peak fitness following the time away, Nicholls is excited to get him started.
"He's done lots of work," Nicholls said on Wednesday's Nick Luck Daily Podcast. "He wouldn't run anywhere if the ground doesn't come right, but if it's on the soft side and he's ready to run, he'll run.
"He'll improve for a run. Obviously, we've not had time to wind him up fully for his first run of the season but I haven't got many options really. He likes going left-handed and if he's ready and we're happy we'll let him take his chance."
Regarding the time off, he added: "He had a few little problems with his feet and little things. He worked one day at Newbury, he was going to run in one of those races at Newbury, and he came back just a tad jarred-up so we thought let's give him a bit of time off and get over all his little problems.
"I often think with horses like that, I little bit of time off never does them any harm and touch-wood he seems in great shape. Better and stronger than ever before."
Looking further ahead, the master of Ditcheat said: "He has to go left-handed really so we haven't got too many options but you'd enter him at Leopardstown over Christmas or in January/February as that sort of track would suit him.
"Then the Cotswold Chase would tell us whether he's good enough to run in a Gold Cup or Ryanair, that sort of thing."
'It's not just Dan breaking records'
In the more immediate future, Nicholls is proud of the fact he will in all likelihood this month break Martin Pipe's all-time record of jumps winners.
Nicholls is currently seven winners short of the 3,930 set by Pipe and the next major milestone of 4,000 is already in his sights.
"Hopefully it's imminent. It's a nice milestone, I think Dan's chasing another record but we've been setting our sights on this one for a little while and we're getting closer all the time," said Nicholls.
"[Back when Pipe and Nicholls were battling for the British Trainers' Championship] I wouldn't even have known what the total winners Martin had trained over the years, you don't think about things like that.
"But as we've got closer over the last couple of years... records are for breaking and ultimately someone will break it again but it's one of them nice things to do.
"It's not just Dan beating one of Martin's records. We need 3,931 to beat the record and the next goal will be to try and hit the 4,000.
"I think it reflects well on team Ditcheat and the environment we've built up alongside Paul Barber over the last 35 years."
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