Trainer Paul Nicholls is said to be satisfied with the ground conditions ahead of today's meeting at Ascot where his charge, Gold Cup favourite Kauto Star, will be going to post in the Grade I Commercial First Chase in his warm-up race for the Festival showpiece.
His appearance will no doubt attract a bumper crowd at the meeting and Ascot spokesman Nick Smith said: "It's quite rare for us to have a horse with such a following as Kauto Star and you would expect any regular racegoer who knows anything about jump racing will want to be here today."
The Gold Cup favourite will be bidding to take revenge on Monet's Garden who inflicted a rare defeat on him in the Old Roan Chase early in the season in receipt of 14lb.
Monet Garden's trainer Nicky Richards reported the 10-year-old had worked fantastically and added: "He is a high class horse who has given us a lot of fun and we love him. There are no easy races at this level but Kauto Star makes it much harder."
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