Bryan Cooper is keen to "have a go" at Thistlecrack with reigning Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Don Cossack.
The Gordon Elliott-trained Don Cossack was a brilliant winner of the blue riband back in March, but has been sidelined by injury since.
For a while his career was hanging in the balance, but he is now back in training and connections appear increasingly confident he will defend his crown at Prestbury Park in March.
"Watching him every day, the glow is back in him - he looks fantastic," Cooper told At The Races.
"Don Cossack is a Gold Cup winner and if he comes back with the same spark he had there last year, it's going to take a hell of a horse to beat him"
"The lad who is riding him every day says he couldn't be happier with him, so fingers crossed everything can keep going the way it's going. We'll take it week by week.
"It would be nice to have a go at him (Thistlecrack). He is very flashy in what he's been doing, but at the end of the day, Don Cossack is a Gold Cup winner and if he comes back with the same spark he had there last year, it's going to take a hell of a horse to beat him."
Don Cossack is a best priced 12-1 for the Gold Cup, with Thistlecrack odds-on with some bookmakers after his scintillating display in winning the King George at Kempton.
