Accordion Etoile could have his first start for almost a year in the Queen Mother Champion Chase - but his participation hinges firmly on the going. Handler Paul Nolan stresses his highly-talented eight-year-old, something of a forgotten horse for the two-mile championship, requires decent ground to put his best foot forward.
Accordion Etoile suffered a setback after winning at Punchestown last April, but is reportedly in good shape again now.
"Accordion Etoile is still on course, but the ground is what's important and I certainly wouldn't advise people to be backing mine ante-post," Nolan said. "I know it's hard to call the ground at Cheltenham because it can change very quickly, but there'd be no point in going unless it is better ground. Ideally you would prefer to have a run before, but there are plenty of courses we could go to to get a proper racecourse gallop so it wouldn't be the main issue."
• Today's scheduled meeting at Newcastle was abandoned due to waterlogging yesterday.
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