Douvan is now said to have chances better than 50/50 to run in the Queen Mother Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival next month.
The Willie Mullins-trained stallion was initially ruled out for the entirety of the season back in November but the situation seems to have improved considerably.
Despite being entered for the Red Mills Chase at Gowan earlier this month, Mullins decided against rushing the horse back to the course.
Considerably beaten in the Grade One chase last year, Douvan looks set to have the chance to make amends this March.
Mullins said:
Douvan is doing everything right. He has a good few bits of work to do this week and he has to go for the Champion Chase, all being well. So far all is well.
If the Gowran race was anywhere else I wouldn’t have entered, but it was beside us and if it cut up to three runners I might have been tempted. But when I saw the heavy ground I wasn’t keen.
Mullins feels good about his horse’s chances to run, but was concerned about the lack of a warm-up race:
It’s better than 50-50 but he’s got some hard work to do. It’s a concern he hasn’t had a run but that’s what we’ve got to do so we’ll have to live with it
