Last season's Cheltenham Festival winner Jagwar will look to propel himself into contention for the Ryanair Chase in March on his return to the track on Trials day later this month.
Jagwar, who won the Plate for leading owner JP McManus and joint-trainers Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero, featured in the 33 entries for the Ryanair revealed on Tuesday and is set to test those aspirations in handicap company at Cheltenham on January 24.
The seven-year-old finished third on his belated reappearance when sent off 11-4 favourite in the December Gold Cup, but is expected to take a major step forward next time.
"He's fresh and well, and he'll go to Trials day for the two-and-a-half-mile handicap and hopefully there's going to be a big improvement from his last run," said Guerriero.
"He was coughing all week after the December Gold Cup and while we were happyish with his run, no-one was completely satisfied, so we're just hoping he wasn't 100 per cent.
"He seems good again now and has stopped coughing. Hopefully we'll see a better performance."
Jagwar, who is priced between 25-1 and 33-1 for the Ryanair, won four of his five chase starts as a novice last season and has always been thought capable of progressing this campaign again.
"We just felt he needed to be in the Ryanair in case he was to go and win very well at Cheltenham, and then we'd maybe find somewhere to go and win again," said Guerriero.
"Even if he was to go up 10lb for winning one race, you're not far off the top-rated ones in the Ryanair, so you'd have a go at that. But he has to go and win, and win nicely on Trials day."
Jagwar, a winner of two of his three starts at Cheltenham, missed his scheduled return in the Paddy Power Gold Cup due to the ground and was then not suited by how the race was run when beaten less than two lengths behind Glengouly carrying joint-topweight in the December Gold Cup.
"The two in front were first and second the whole way, and went very steady and quickened it up. He was the only one who came out of the pack," Guerriero said.
"He was the fastest finisher and his fitness will improve, so there are a lot of reasons why he should be a lot better next time.
"Even from the start he's never been straightforward – he's been quite backward and gangly and also quite sickly – but he's got a big engine and we know he's got a bright future over fences."
Stablemate Iroko, also a festival winner in the McManus silks, did not appear in the entries for the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup with all roads leading towards another crack at the Randox Grand National in April, for which he is the clear favourite at 8-1.
Fourth in the race last year, Iroko was given a 4lb rise for winning a graduation chase at Ascot last month.
"He's come out of Ascot bouncing and definitely seems an improved horse this season," said Guerriero. "He's finding everything easier, he travels through his races so much better and everything is so much more comfortable.
"We'd like to have one good smooth run at the National without risking having a hard race in something like the Gold Cup.
"We'll wait until the National weights are out and then he'll either go back to Kelso for the Premier Chase [February 28] or the big three-mile chase [Ladbrokes Trophy] at Kempton the weekend before."
The Cheshire stable has endured a quieter campaign than normal following a setback in the summer, but optimism is high for the second half of the season.
"We had strangles in August and that has 100 per cent set us back, but it has felt like we've got going," added Guerriero. "The weather has been a nightmare, but it's worked out well because we've given 60-70 per cent of the yard flu jabs and a quiet week.
"We've definitely seen a big turn in the horses in the last few weeks and we can't wait to get stuck in again. We're hoping we'll have a big spring."
Credit for this articel - The Racing Post
