Oliver Sherwood is looking forward to a big week as his exciting chaser Kadou Nonantais is set to return from injury.
He has already made an entry in the Cheltenham Gold Cup entry for the seven-year-old, a winner five times in his first season over fences in 1998/9.
But the trainer stressed that the National Hunt Festival was "a long way off" for the gelding, who has not raced since suffering an injury in a fall at Cheltenham 10 months ago.
Kadou Nonantais is among 21 entries for the Monkton Chase at Wetherby on Thursday and Sherwood said: "He's ready to run.
"It is quite a hot little race at Wetherby with quite a few entries and if the ground is good he won't run - he wants soft ground.
"We will put him in the three-and-a-half-mile race at Warwick on Saturday and decide later where to run him.
"I am very happy with him. I thought at one stage we might struggle to get him to the racecourse this season but he hasn't stopped improving in the past couple of weeks."
Sherwood is hoping for a bold showing from Kadou Nonantais, who won five novice chases last season.
"He will be sharper for the race but he takes very little getting fit - though it is a different ball game against handicappers.
"There is no long-term plan, I just want to see him come back.
"We have put him in the Gold Cup but that was only because it closed last week - if he came out and won two races and we hadn't put him in we would look pretty stupid but that is a long way off."
Kadou Nonantais has not raced since last March when he started 4-1 favourite for the William Hill National Hunt Handicap Chase at Cheltenham only to fall at the 12th fence.
