Beef Or Salmon has recovered from a slight setback and is on course for the Tote Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Michael Hourigan's stable star was found to be suffering from a bug, which resulted in a below-par effort when a well-beaten third behind Best Mate in the Ericsson Chase at Leopardstown on December 28th.
Mucus was discovered in the gelding's lungs when he was scoped on returning to Hourigan's Patrickswell stables after the Ericsson and blood tests were taken.
"His blood tests were perfect," he trainer said today. "He's grand again now and he's back in work. He's all right again and that is the main thing."
Hourigan has no immediate plans for Beef Or Salmon but the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup - a race he won last year - at Leopardstown on February 8th could be a possibility.
Hourigan added: "We'll wait for a fortnight before deciding what we'll do. The Pillar at Cheltenham (January 24th) is out. We'll play it by ear and see what happens."