Mick Fitzgerald will play a part in the Mitsubishi Shogun Tingle Creek Trophy but whether equine star Direct Route also gets in on the act on Saturday is still uncertain.

Fitzgerald will partner Tiutchev in the £75,000 contest at Sandown Park after declaring himself fully recovered from a shoulder injury.

But it will be a last-minute decision regarding the participation of Direct Route, whose preparation is continuing to be hampered by wet weather in the north east of England.

Fitzgerald has been on the sidelines since fracturing a bone in a shoulder in a fall at Newbury on November 8th.

But he decided he was ready to return after riding out yesterday morning.

"Thankfully I didn't feel anything at all today," he said. "It all went well there was no adverse reaction and the shoulder was much improved from a week ago. I am planning to return on Thursday.

"I rode Tiutchev and he worked very nicely. It's great to be coming back to ride a horse like him."

Sandown will be a launching pad for Tiutchev's bid for the Champion Chase.

Trainer Nicky Henderson said: "Tiutchev has been working very well and lack of a recent run will not be a problem. He's in great form."

Whether Direct Route will be one of Tiutchev's opponents on Saturday will not be known until later in the week.

Trainer Howard Johnson has suffered more than most by the downpours throughout November.

With his gallops flooded he has faced a difficult task readying Direct Route for his seasonal debut.

Tiutchev's stablemate Get Real will try to improve on a disappointing effort in the race 12 months ago when he was pulled up.

Cenkos is another probable starter and his trainer Oliver Sherwood said: "He has come on a good deal for his two runs which he definitely needed."

Venetia Williams confirmed that her entries Bellator and The Outback Way are probable runners but the connections of Fadalko are undecided whether to bring him back in trip after his defeat over an extended two and a half miles in the Peterborough Chase at Huntingdon last time.

Apprentice George Baker was the jockey in form at Lingfield yesterday with a 226-1/2 to 1 treble on Reachforyourpocket (14 to 1), Stand By (5 to 2) and Beauchamp Magic (100 to 30).