The Emma Lavelle trained superstar Paisley Park is back for another season and will hoping recapture his form the 2018/19 campaign where he went unbeaten in all five of his races.
The eight year old at the Cheltenham festival last season was looking to extend his unbeaten run to eight races and also land back to back renewals of the Stayers Hurdle but it was not to be for the fan favourite.
After the race it was found that the son of Oscar had come back with an irregular heartbeat that was certainly the cause of his underwhelming run in the Grade One he dominated in last season.
Now, the Andrew Gemmell owned horse is said to be back to his best having been given the all clear from the vets and the frequent winner has been wearing a heart monitor in pieces of his work at home and the problem has not resurfaced.
(Credit ATR) Lavelle said: “Touch wood, everything has been brilliant since he came back in. I’m really happy with him, and everything seems to be happening the way it should.
"I never believed that it would be like this."
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) November 13, 2019
Mix of emotions for Andrew Gemmell as Paisley Park nears his return in the @Ladbrokes Long Distance Hurdle at @NewburyRacing ⬇️https://t.co/uUdwGFbnbi pic.twitter.com/AzW5KTfLNN
“I think it (heart monitor) is a useful tool, just to make sure everything is as it should be.
“He had his first trip up the grass on Thursday and is loving life.”
The female trainer has announced that the Long Distance Hurdle will be the first run of the Grade One winners campaign this term and she is hoping he can get back to his brilliant best.
She added: “He’s really fresh and well – and funnily enough, he’s actually been easier to get fit this time around than he was last year.
“Newbury is very much the plan, and it would be nice if we can get a racecourse gallop into him at some stage, hopefully at Newbury.
“It would be nice to get him back on the track, just in case he has any nasty memories of racing from Cheltenham.”