FLYING grey Monet’s Garden could make his seasonal reappearance at his favourite track of Aintree in the Old Roan Chase at Aintree a week on Saturday.

Nicky Richards’ 11-year-old may bid for a second win in the Grade Two contest and a fourth at the Merseyside track.

Monet’s Garden beat dual Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Kauto Star in the Old Roan Chase two years ago, but could only finish seventh to Knowhere 12 months ago. He followed up with victory in the Peterborough Chase at Huntingdon, but after finishing sixth in the Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham Festival, Monet’s Garden has been on the sidelines since with a slight tendon injury .

But Richards is delighted with his veteran stable star and is eyeing another trip to Aintree.

The Greystoke handler said: “He’s in fine form and he might go to Aintree again for the Old Roan later in the month. He’ll either go there or he may wait for the Charlie Hall at Wetherby the week after, but it’s all ground dependent.

“He’s in good work at the moment and touch wood, we’ve had no sign of the injury from last season so he’s in good nick.

“He’s been back in work a good while now and everything has gone well.“

Richards is taking a patient approach with the exciting novice Noble Alan after an impressive start to his chasing career with success at Hexham on Saturday.

The six-year-old won the Scottish Champion Hurdle in fine style, but his trainer expects him to make a big impression over the bigger obstacles. He too may head for the two-day Aintree meeting on October 24-25 and Richards said: “I was very pleased with him as he jumped nicely and did what we expected of him.

“We know he’s got the engine but you’ve got to jump and thankfully he’s jumped nicely at home and gone and done it on the track as well.

“We’ll see how he comes out of it before we make any plans but a week on Thursday there is a two-mile chase at Carlisle so we’ll have a look at that.

“Then a week on Saturday there is one at Aintree as well, so they are the two options if the horse is well and he gets his ground because he wouldn’t run on soft or heavy.

“He’s got a good profile over hurdles and I suppose if one of the big trainers down south had him they would be thinking along the lines of the Arkle, so we’ll have to see.

“We’ll get him educated and keep our feet on the ground, but we hope to be thinking about the Arkle come the end of February.”