Feathard Lady is facing a crucial week in her race against time to be fit for the Smurfit Champion Hurdle.
The six-year-old, a leading fancy for the Cheltenham Festival, strained a hind fetlock joint a
fortnight ago and has been confined to her box for over a week.
Trainer Colm Murphy is still hopeful of his unbeaten charge making the Festival but he believes Feathard Lady will have to return to work this week if she is to be ready for March.
Murphy told the Racing Post: "She is an awful lot better but her recovery has been slower than we had hoped.
"She is still not doing much and we hope to start riding her out this week. But time is our problem and if we can't begin riding out in the next few days we might have to think again about Cheltenham."
Feathard Lady, an impressive winner of the Christmas Hurdle at Sandown, is a 5-1 chance for the Champion Hurdle with Ladbrokes.