2017 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Sizing John is set to make his return to racing before the turn of the new year, with Jessica Harrington aiming him at the Punchestown meeting on New Year's Eve.
The now nine year old gelding owned by the well known pots family has not been seen on a racecourse since being pulled up in the Savills Chase at Leopardstown at the back end of the 2017 season.
It was in that year that Sizing John became one of he greats of the sport landing the Gold Cup Trio when he went on to win the Leopardstown, Cheltenham and Punchestown Gold Cup consecutively.
Having finished second behind behind Douvan for most of his career, Harrington stepped him up in trip and that was the move that made him the horse we all remember him being and his trainer believes he can get back to somewhere near his best.
The trainer has had to be exceptionally patient with the gelding, with injury after injury halting his progress on the national hunt scene over the last two years which has seen him miss the last two Cheltenham festivals and we hope this season he will be able to give a title defence at the Cheltenham festival.
Unlike many jumps horses, Sizing John has been kept extremely busy during the off season with a huge rehabilitation plan set up for him to get him back to where he needs to be for the upcoming season and he is now very nearly ready to return.
(Credit At The Races) “All is good. I was happy with the way he worked and Robert (Power) was very happy – and he’s the most important person.
“We didn’t enter him in anything over Christmas. At the moment we’re aiming towards the conditions hurdle at Punchestown on New Year’s Eve, that’s the plan.”