It has been revealed that Diamond Harry’s involvement in this year’s Cheltenham Gold Cup could be in doubt after the horse suffered breathing difficulties over the weekend.

The former Hennessey Gold Cup winner – who is expected to be a major force at the Cheltenham Festival in March – will now undergo an investigation to try and determined exactly what the problem is.

The fact that Diamond Harry managed to finish 5th in the recent Argento Chase, regardless of any problems, shows the potential of the horse but part-owner Paul Duffy admits that the situation is being assessed.

He said: “We believe he has a breathing problem. Noel Fehily reported he was gasping for air so we are having it investigated – I spoke to Noel yesterday and he thought the horse did very well in light of the problem.”

“Diamond Harry is seeing the vet tomorrow to see what the issue is. It is not impossible he could still go for the Gold Cup, we are still looking at that, but if he can’t make it there are other races in the calendar, like the three-mile chase at Aintree.”

Elsewhere in horse racing news, Tom George has revealed that he will give Baby Mix a vital run before the Cheltenham Festival as he looks to get preparations for the famous event just right.

Speaking about the four-year-old and referring to a poor run in December, George said: “Baby Mix disappointed in the juvenile hurdle. “

“He has been checked over by the vet this morning and everything appears to be normal. It is highly likely we will give him a run in between now and the Festival.”

The event George is planning to run in the lead up to the Festival remains to be seen, but it is hoped that he will come through well and continue to be one of the favourites for the JCB Triumph Hurdle in March.

David Pipe has revealed that the hugely impressive steeplechaser Grands Crus will enjoy a rest with March’s Cheltenham Festival in mind.

The seven-year-old is a major contender for Cheltenham Gold Cup glory of course and after winning the Feltham Chase on Boxing Day, it was expected that this weekend would be when preparations for the famous Festival are stepped up.

However, after consideration to the short-term as well as long-term prospects, Pipe has decided to give this weekend a miss to avoid asking too much of Grands Crus at an important time of year.

The trainer said: “We’ve decided we don’t want to give him a hard race with Cheltenham just around the corner in March.”

“He could run at Newbury on February 11, Betfair Trophy day, in a three-mile novice chase, not in the Denman. The horse is absolutely fine, though, we just decided not to run.”

Whether this turns out to be the right decision will remain to be seen. It will certainly be interesting to see the type of form Grands Crus is in at Newbury in February. Before then, it’s a case of resting up and shifting the focus to other Gold Cup contenders.

Elsewhere in horse racing news, Richard Johnson has spoken positively about the capabilities of Captain Chris, saying that a run at the Gold Cup in March is a distinct possibility for last season’s Arkle Trophy winner.

He said: “The plan at the moment is for him to run in the Argento Chase. I schooled him on Monday and he felt very well. He’s come out pretty well after the King George.”

“I didn’t feel he was quite 100pc there but hopefully he’s coming back to himself and last year, in the spring, he really came to himself.”

I didn’t feel he didn’t stay in the King George, he just didn’t travel and jump the way I know he can.”

“He was fine, but he won the Arkle over two miles and has plenty of pace and he was a bit sluggish in the King George. It just didn’t seem to happen for him.”

“I’m pretty sure he’ll stay the Gold Cup trip of three miles two (furlongs).”

“He’ll be entered in the Ryanair and the Gold Cup, but, obviously, if he can’t put up a bold show on Saturday, he’s going to struggle in the Gold Cup.”

As ever, there are lots of decisions for trainers to make ahead of a crucial few months in the horse racing calendar.

Midnight Chase has emerged as a Cheltenham Gold Cup contender after winning the ‘dress rehearsal’ for the famous event – the Argento Chase.

This victory on Saturday was a significant moment for the 10-year-old and even though the two massive favourites for Gold Cup glory – Long Run and Kauto Star – were not involved, Midnight Chase has shown excellent potential.

Perhaps if either of the two big guns are to perform below par in March, Midnight Chase can take advantage and follow up Saturday’s victory with Gold Cup glory.

Trainer Neil Mulholland is certainly positive about how the Cheltenham Festival might go, saying: “I said before he was as well as he was in December just over a year ago – but older and stronger.”

“Kauto Star and Long Run weren’t here today but this was the Gold Cup without them so we’ll enjoy it. We might be third or fourth in March but we’re a small yard and we’d be very happy with that.”

“Neither Long Run nor Kauto Star were here today, but they’re just about the only ones who weren’t, and look what he’s done to the ones who were here.”

“He was fifth in the Gold Cup last year and he’s in the same sort of form now, except he’s got stronger and more mature.”

Many pundits have their own thoughts on Midnight Chase of course. They believe Mulholland’s hopeful will simply be a pace-setter for Kauto Star and Long Run.

This takes nothing away from victory at the Argento Chase though and nothing away from how focused Midnight Chase should be when it is time for the Gold Cup.

Strange things have happened in horse racing before and they will happen again. Midnight Chase just needs to be there, in the thick of the Gold Cup action, to capitalise if and when they do.

The experienced horse is favourite for the RSA Chase – as has been well documented ad the build-up to Cheltenham continues – but there have also been suggestions of involvement in the biggest race of all – the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Only one of these races will emerge as the seven-year-old’s main target and Pipe admits that this will be determined by ‘the opposition’ for each event.

The trainer said: “Anything can happen to any horse unfortunately and, as we’ve seen in Cheltenham Festivals, some do fall by the wayside, so we have to keep our options open.”

“We’re looking at running him next in the Argento at the end of the month or a novice chase in February and we’ll probably decide next week. He’s in good form and all has gone well since Kempton.”

The Grand National takes place the month after the Cheltenham Festival of course and Pipe was also discussing Junior’s potential involvement at Aintree.

Referring to where the horse stands at this stage of the year, Pipe said: “The Grand National has always been the plan for Junior. He had a long late break, is in great form and not far off a run now. He will run after the weights come out for the Grand National.”

This means that the Cheltenham Festival comes too soon for Junior, which is a shame because many pundits would expect Pipe to follow up the success achieved at Cheltenham last year.

Elsewhere in news related to Cheltenham, high-profile trainer Nicky Henderson has been speaking about his plans for the hurdle events in March.

Referring to how Grandouet, Binocular and Spirit Son are getting on in their preparations, he said: “Grandouet has done nothing wrong this season. It would be reasonably safe to say he would have won first time at Wincanton before he fell at the second last and he proved that with his next two runs.”

“Spirit Son looked good throughout last year and both myself and Barry Geraghty felt last year’s Cheltenham Festival was a year too soon for him”

“Binocular’s performance over Christmas at Kempton was good. He has won it before and won it again – it is funny, we were pleased with him but never quite satisfied.”

It really does get you in the mood for Cheltenham when these type of views are discussed. Who will be in form come 12th March? Who will we all be talking about by the 17th March?

Not long until we find out!

Venetia Williams has admitted that a late decision will be made on Mon Mome’s involvement in the Cheltenham Gold Cup. It has been made clear that the priority this year is the Grand National, but involvement at Cheltenham is still a distinct possibility.

Everyone remembers 2009 when Mon Mome won the famous event at Aintree at odds of 100-1 and this was without doubt a fantastic day for all involved. However, injury problems – as well as falling at last year’s Grand National – have meant that it has been a difficult couple of years since this famous day.

However, the veteran horse is back in competitive action after coming through a tough hurdle event on New Year’s Day and this has got punters talking about a memorable few months for the 12-year-old.

Referring to the decisions that need to be made, Williams said: “He’s fine and he’ll certainly have an entry in the Gold Cup, although when he ran in it before (third in 2010) I only made a firm decision on the day so it may be a late call as he must have soft ground.”

“There are one or two options for him and I’ve still not managed to win a race with him over hurdles, so putting him in a novice hurdle somewhere is certainly an option.”

Elsewhere in horse racing news, Noel Meade trained Monksland confirmed his place at the Cheltenham Festival after impressing at the Slaney Novice Hurdle at Naas.

Referring to this race specifically and what it means for the rest of the year, Meade said: “That went exactly to plan. I thought he’d win, to be honest, as he is very good. He was involved in a serious piece of work at Fairyhouse where he finished second to Bog Warrior, and I think he had a bit up his sleeve.”

“He has done everything right since and jumps well. He is good enough for Cheltenham and he will go there for the Neptune. I’m not sure whether he will run before that as he is easy to get fit.”

“He worked well on Tuesday morning on soft ground and should handle better ground. He had earplugs in as he used to be very nervous, but he has relaxed and never turned a hair today.”

Meade is just one of several horses looking to get their preparation for the 2012 Cheltenham Festival bang on the money of course, so watch this space for more Cheltenham news.

Referring to the potential of the chaser, Hobbs said: “We were pleased with his comeback in the Haldon Gold Cup at Exeter, even though he unseated.”

“The only disappointing thing in the King George was he’s normally a horse who jumps and travels very well and he didn’t do either, although he stayed on alright.”

“The finishing position was satisfactory but he didn’t appear to be at his best.”

“The trip is a bit of a concern but he’s a better horse on good ground, which is likely at Cheltenham, although finding it before then is the trouble.”

In terms of the races Captain Chris could take part in during the build-up to Cheltenham, he could target Argento Chase at Cheltenham later this month or possibly the Aon Chase next month.

Elsewhere in news related to Cheltenham, trainer Alan King has stated his belief that Invictus – who ran a disappointing Dipper Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham will be back in form before long.

Despite showing excellent attributes to win his first two races over fences, Invictus looked all over the place at Cheltenham and left punters wondering about what the rest of 2012 will bring.

However, King revealed afterwards that there was a explanation for the dip in form and insisted that Invictus will be a contender again before long.

He said: “Invictus lost a shoe and was quite sore afterwards, and, while I hate making excuses, I am sure that he is better than that.”

“He never travelled like he can and could not get into a rhythm. But we will hopefully have him back out in three or four weeks as he needs more experience of the bigger tracks.”

The 12-year-old dual Cheltenham Gold Cup winner broke new ground when he became the first horse to win the Kempton classic five times in his career, which when added to his successes at the famous Cheltenham race give him one of the more impressive CV’s in the sports history.

After his convincing win at Kempton ahead of challengers Long Run and Master Minded, while victory at the Bet Fair chase in the lead up to his win in the King George had further dispelled claims the fan favourite was heading for retirement.

Now with his recent win on Boxing Day prompting discussions of his standing in the sports history, Smith believes his charge can more than hold his own against some of the more illustrious names from years gone by.

“It has been very interesting reading about the comparisons with the greats of the past,” Smith said.

“Obviously, this is an exceptional horse. I’m from the golfing world, where you look at Tiger Woods against the likes of Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player back to Gene Sarazen and Bobby Jones, and I think it’s very difficult to compare stars from different eras.

“Kauto Star’s era is very, very competitive. In the days of Golden Miller and Arkle after the War, there were a lot of burlier chasers around.

“Kauto Star is a different build – he’s a more athletic type of horse to when you look at pictures of horses like Arkle, Flyingbolt, Mill House and Golden Miller.

“He has won everything he can and has been so adaptable – dropping down to win two Tingle Creeks, but also being able to win two Gold Cups and four Betfair Chases.” He added.

Kauto Star could now be aimed at emulating Arkle – whose three Gold Cup wins amongst other feats prompted many to herald him as one of the sport’s finest during his heyday in the 1960’s – if he is given the chance to add to his two wins in March.

With fierce rival Denman retiring last year the veteran Gelding will be aiming for a fitting end to his career with a win in the famous race.

One of the best steeplechasers around, Long Run has often needed earplugs to relax, but trainer Nicky Henderson has revealed that the team have trained the defending champion suitably in the last few weeks.

Speaking about Long Run’s preparations, Henderson said: “We have spent a lot of time settling him down and have always run him in earplugs. That helps him through the preliminaries and everything else, but we’ve probably decided to take them out now because he is very relaxed and possibly a little bit over relaxed.”

“We will be changing a few things but I don’t think we will be taking Kauto Star on up front. We are hoping that the extra distance at Cheltenham and the hill are what are going to save us.”

Long Run will need some competitive action before the Cheltenham Festival though and Henderson believes this could come at the Betfair Denman Chase next month.

The trainer continued: “I think the Denman Chase is a possibility. It would do him good to have another run. He’s come back from the King George in great form and one’s assuming Kauto is not going to go there.”

“I wouldn’t want another battle with him on the way – two is enough so far. I’d be inclined all being well to go there. It might be a bit ground dependent.”

“If all’s well in a fortnight’s time, there’s every chance he’d go there.”

In other Cheltenham related news, it has been revealed that a decision on reigning dual Champion Chase winner Master Minded future in racing may not be made for another year.

Owner Clive Smith said: “I was down at the yard on Monday and Dan Skelton gave me a good summary of the injury in detail, to which Paul Nicholls added some points

Kauto Star (4/6 with Paddy Power) looks every inch the likely winner again, having barely put a foot wrong in what has been another memorable season.

The 10-year-old conceded his crown to Denman (4/1 with Bet365) in 2008 and it looked as though that seven-length demolition had left its mark as Paul Nicholls’ charge subsequently failed to shine at Aintree, before unseating Sam Thomas on his second start back last term.

He bounced back to land a third King George that Christmas, but Nicholls believes he went to the well a couple of times too often in that period and gave Kauto Star a good break before returning to Cheltenham last March.

That worked the oracle as he firmly turned the tables on Denman and although Imperial Commander (8/1 with Stan James) pushed him all the way in the Betfair Chase on his reappearance last November, that was merely a blip as he bulldozed a decent field when landing a record fourth successive King George on Boxing Day.

He has been off the track since then in preparation for the Gold Cup and it will be a major surprise if he cannot secure a third title.

The ground is in his favour at present and if it stays on the dry side, expect to see another super show from the reigning champion.

With so many question marks over Denman this time, Nicholls third-string Tricky Trickster (14/1 with Sportingbet) is taken to make the frame at a reasonable each-way price.

Tidal Bay Shortens for Cheltenham Gold Cup

The ten-year-old saw his price cut for a Cheltenham Festival victory after a typically frustrating performance saw him finish second in the Argento Chase behind Neptune Collonges.

It typically took Tidal Bay too long to warm to the task at hand and despite his usual fast finish, he still left himself too much to do to reel in the surprise winner.

Johnson believes that the inconsistent pace set throughout by Neptune Collonges would not have done his horse any favours and feels that the Cheltenham Gold Cup will be run more to suit him.

He said: “They just went too slow for him through the race. You can’t do anything else than what we did with our horse and he’ll go for the Gold Cup now as there’s nothing else for him.

“He might plod into a bit of place money there as he should get a better pace and it’s over a bit further as well, which would suit him.”

With Tidal Bay also often happy to sit off the pace and bide his time, a quickly-run race may also mean that he can gradually move through the field and pick off some rivals who begin to falter back through the field.

Imperial Commander is the current favourite to win a second successive Cheltenham Gold Cup at 7/2, with King George winner Long Run available at 5/1.

Neptune Collonges has been given a 33/1 quote following his Cheltenham victory in the Argento Chase.