Strong Promise can repeat last year's victory in the £60,000-added Comet And Sony Chase at Ascot today. Geoff Hubbard's seven-year-old made rapid strides last season and was a 10 to 1 shot when overturning the odds-on One Man by a length.
He went on to finish second to Martha's Son in the Mumm Melling Chase at Aintree and rounded off the campaign with a 21-length defeat of Gales Cavalier at Cheltenham.
Having had a very busy season - he was on the go from mid-September to mid-April - connections decided to give Strong Promise an extended rest, hence his belated return today.
His progress so far has been pretty phenomenal and there seems no reason why he should not be wound up enough to see off One Man and Senor El Betrutti.
No-one can deny One Man's class but Gordon Richards' chaser is a difficult customer to weigh up these days.
Not only did he disappoint in this race but he went out like a light in the Gold Cup and was pulled up at Aintree.
And, although he impressed in the build-up to a tilt at a third successive King George VI Chase win, he was wholly disappointing on big-race day, trailing in a distance behind See More Business.
