The unbeaten Ruth Jefferson trained Waiting Patiently looks set to return to racing before the year is out and is putting his record on the line in the King George VI Chase on Boxing Day at Kempton.
This will be the seven year olds hardest race to date coming back from an injury setback that saw him miss the Cheltenham Festival and then the Grand National meeting last season.
The same injury that kept him from racing at these events also has cost him this season and would have been back a lot sooner but Jefferson is taking her time with him and wants him to be in tip top condition to keep his unbeaten record.
This is why the soonest we will see Waiting Patiently won't be until the Christmas period and this is a brave decision to send him into this race against the best chasers in the sport on his seasonal debut.
(Credit At The Races) Owner Richard Collins said: “The King George is the main target at the moment, but if we don’t make it we could always drop back to two miles and he’ll run in the Clarence House. He’ll have an entry in Ireland as well. It’s all ground dependent as well.
“He summered very well, we’ve taken our time with him to get him freshened up. We’ve picked him up the last week or so, but being ground dependent, we’ll take it one step at a time.
“I was always in a rush to get him over fences as I always thought he was more of a chaser than a hurdler. You can run them too often over hurdles and they can develop bad habits. He was always a natural chaser, but we’ve always known he wanted cut in the ground.
“I couldn’t say I thought he’d be a 170 (rated) horse, you never think they’ll get that high but it’s fantastic that he is that high.”
Waiting Patiently is currently best priced to take the race at Kempton on Boxing Day at 6/1 with last years winner of the race Might Bite at the top of the market at 7/2.