Willoughby Court all set for Carlisle return before possible Ladbrokes Trophy bid
The Cheltenham Festival winner will make his reappearance in the prestigious Colin Parker Memorial next month
BEN Pauling will give stable star Willoughby Court his first start of the season at Carlisle next month.
The former Neptune winner will contest the Colin Parker Memorial before a potential crack at the Ladbrokes Trophy.
Always regarded as top class by his trainer, the son of Court Cave had been favourite for last year's JLT Novices' Chase before injury intervened.
However, following a break the seven-year-old is now back on track, and connections are hoping there'll be more to come over the larger obstacles this season.
Pauling said: "He didn't do a lot wrong last year and we were very much looking forward to the JLT.
"An an abscess in the foot is such a minor injury, but it was a really nasty abscess and we were concerned it may have infected the bone. To this day nobody has found the puncture wound where it came from.
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Two wins over fences so far have marked the talented gelding out as one to follow over fences, and Pauling has his eye on valuable targets in the coming months.
He added: "He has come back in as good as ever. He looks a million dollars and is moving very well. We are hoping to run him in the graduation chase at Carlisle on November 4.
"There is every chance after that, if it all goes to plan, that you could see him in the Ladbrokes Trophy."
The Cheltenham Festival-winning trainer also issued an update on Global Citizen, who was an effortless winner of the Dovecote Stakes at Kempton in February.
Despite a flop in Grade 1 company next time out, Pauling believes his six-year-old is still capable of plying his trade at a high level.
"There is no doubt what we think of him and he will be aimed at the Listed hurdle at Kempton on October 21.
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"We only inherited him in January and he impressed me at a lot from what I saw at home.
"He went and won a novice hurdle as he liked at Southwell, so we shoved him in the Dovecote to see where we were and he demolished that field as well.
"At Aintree he pulled too hard and ran his race in the first mile and a half, he never looked like the horse that won at Kempton."