Champion Chase dark horse Dynamite Dollars could return next month

The Champion Chase has endured a couple of knocks in recent months with Altior running over further and Chacun Pour Soi only managing second on his return to action, but one horse who could yet explode on to the scene is Dynamite Dollars.

The seven-year-old has not been seen since winning the Grade 2 Lightning Novices' Chase at Doncaster last January due to injury but one of last year's top novices is nearing a return.

The son of Buck's Boum took well to fences, recording four wins from five starts, including the Grade 1 Henry VIII Novices' Chase at Sandown and was a strong fancy for the Racing Post Arkle.

Dynamite Dollars (right) landed the Grade 1 Henry VIII Novices' Chase last seasonCredit: Mark Cranham

Harry Derham, assistant trainer to Paul Nicholls, said: "He's in full training and is doing a lot of work but he still looks big. Something like the Game Spirit Chase [on February 8] is what I imagine we'll aim for."

Nicholls last won the Queen Mother Champion Chase with Dodging Bullets in 2015 and has used the the Betfair Exchange Steeple Chase, registered as the Game Spirit, at Newbury as a successful stepping stone to festival glory with Azertyuiop (2004) and Master Minded (2008).

Derham added: "He's absolutely fine and doing loads and loads of work but we're taking every day as it comes. You can't push a huge amount of buttons, you’re just getting them fit with a lot of slow and steady work and he's coming along really nicely."

Despite being entered in the 2m4½f Unibet Silviniaco Conti Chase at Kempton on Saturday, Altior still heads the market for the festival showpiece at 3-1, with Dynamite Dollars generally available at 33-1.

Read The Lowdown from 8.30am daily on racingpost.com and the Racing Post app for all the day's going updates, news and tips