Michael O'Brien has admitted the Hennessy Gold Cup on February 10th is "D-Day" for his smart chaser In Compliance. Since lowering the colours of current champion War Of Attrition in the John Durkan Memorial at Punchestown, he has been backed into as low as 6 to 1 with William Hill for the Totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup.

With the blue riband event as the ultimate objective, O'Brien has nominated the Hennessy at Leopardstown as the ideal stepping stone, one which will hopefully indicate whether or not the seven-year-old will stay the three and a quarter miles around Prestbury Park.

"He's fine, he's very well and hopefully he will run in the Hennessy at Leopardstown on February 10th," said O'Brien. "I'm reasonably confident that he will stay the trip in the Gold Cup, he hasn't shown me anything to suggest that he won't stay.

"When we had that other good horse a few years ago, Bright Highway, he never ran over a trip until the Hennessy (1980) so you always presume they will stay until they tell you different.

"He is still in the Queen Mother Champion Chase though, just in case we find out he doesn't stay.

"Hennessy day is D-Day for him really," he said. "We've always felt he will stay a trip. He is by Old Vic, but the reason he hasn't already been tried over a trip is that he didn't start until late last season. He ran over two miles and five furlongs last year once, but then there was nowhere for him to go really except back over two miles.

"This year we thought we would start him over two and a half as there was nothing really for him to run in. We don't think there is a problem, but we will find out on Hennessy day."

Last year's Cheltenham Gold Cup third Forget The Past is on the road to recovery after suffering from a back problem.

Owned like stable star In Compliance by property tycoon Sean Mulryan, Forget The Past has been off the track since chasing home War Of Attrition at the Punchestown Festival.

He is nearing a return to action, possibly over hurdles, but it is unlikely he will line up in the blue riband event if his stable companion can prove his stamina in the Hennessey next month.

"What happened with Forget The Past is there are three discs in the back of a horse that are supposed to be an inch apart, but his have come together and they are rubbing on one another," said O'Brien. "We've given him some time off and so far he looks okay but we won't really know until he gets close to running. We hope to have him out in the next two to three weeks.

"We will probably give him a run over hurdles and as long as that goes okay then fine, but if not he will probably have to have an operation on his back.

"If the hurdles run goes okay he will probably go for one of the two races he ran in last year before Cheltenham. The Red Mills Chase at Gowran or the Bobbyjo Chase at Fairyhouse.

"If In Compliance proves that he stays though and he runs in the Gold Cup, Forget The Past will give it a miss, we think the other is a much better horse anyway," he said.