Paul Barber believes that Denman is in the form of his life as the owner prepares to run his horse in the Cheltenham Gold Cup this March.

The eleven-year-old won the race in 2008 and has finished second on two different occasions and Barber insists that his preparation for this year’s Festival has gone as well as any other year.

Denman hasn’t been seen since his gallant second to Diamond Harry in the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury in November and Barber explained:  "We're doing everything we can to win the Gold Cup, and we've found that Denman needs to be fully prepared for his races.  You can't go there 90% with him - he must be 100%.

"We didn't want to get him up for a race when his main target is a month later.  He's been doing plenty of walking and been creeping about the roads, doing something all the time.

"I think he's showing the benefit of that routine. He's in great form, back in full work, and I believe he's never been better.  What we want to see now is his coat coming through in March.

"If the ground is on the soft side, he has a great chance of winning again," Barber explained.