'It's never been the plan' - lack of options forces Henderson into Champ rethink

Nicky Henderson is set to take the wraps off Champ when he launches a three-pronged assault on Saturday's Long Walk at Ascot, raising the intriguing prospect of last year's RSA Chase winner possibly staying over hurdles.

The Seven Barrows trainer said ante-post favourite Buzz and the consistent On The Blind Side are set to run in the Grade 1 contest, but it is the enigmatic Champ's return to hurdles that adds an extra bit of spice to the race, which Henderson won back in 2008 with Punchestowns.

Champ returned last season with a flamboyant second in the Game Spirit Chase but failed to build on that promising effort in the Gold Cup, in which he never travelled with any zest and was pulled up by Nico de Boinville before the seventh fence.