Ruth Jefferson’s Sounds Russian is pencilled in for Perth on Wednesday after  his satisfactory comeback in the Rendlesham Hurdle at Haydock.

The Sholokhov gelding has always shown plenty of ability and won a good prize at Kelso in October 2022, going on to finish fourth in the Many Clouds and then coming home runner-up in both the Rowland Meyrick and the Cotswold Chase.

He was a contender for the 2023 Cheltenham Gold Cup off the back of those performances but unfortunately his race ended at the 17th fence when Ahoy Senor fell and brought him down, with the incident inflicting a knee injury that later required an operation to remove 12 chips of bone.

That kept him off for 11 months but he returned to action at Haydock in February, finishing fifth, and he is now set for the Listed Gold Castle Novices’ Hurdle.

“He came out his race at Haydock really well, there wasn’t much else to run him in without going to a big festival,” said Jefferson.

“He was always going to come on for the run so I’ve put him in at Perth, we may as well learn if he goes right-handed.

“If he does it will open up opportunities next year, if he doesn’t then I’ll know for sure.

“He’s always lugged a little bit left-handed so I’ve never run him right-handed, but we may as well have a go and find out now he’s nine.

“He’d been out for a long time and when you’re coming back on tacky ground it’s not like the start of the season.

“I knew in the back of my head I’d done as much as I could and he hadn’t been for a gallop, it was a perfectly acceptable run and we were happy enough.”

Ruth Jefferson’s classy chaser Sounds Russian is on the road to recovery after an injury sustained when he was brought down in the Cheltenham Gold Cup in March.

The gelding had a fruitful season prior to the fall, winning the Edinburgh Gin Chase at Kelso on debut and then finishing second by narrow margins in both the Rowland Meyrick and the Cotswold Chase.

His next start was a return to Prestbury Park for the Gold Cup, where he started at 50-1 under Sean Quinlan in a field of 13.

Six fences from home he was still in contention when the leader, Ahoy Senor, fell and knocked him off of his feet as he followed on behind.

The resulting knee injury has required an operation and Sounds Russian has now started the pre-training phase of his return to action.

Jefferson said: “He’s in pre-training so he’s been doing some treadmill work, he’s seen the physio, he’s been doing a lot of flat work and fitness work at the moment. He’ll probably be back with me in the next month or so.

“He’s not always behaved himself so he might not be as fit as I was hoping he’d be when he gets back to me, which will push me back to February.

“He doesn’t take a lot of getting fit, that’s one thing about him, but it does mean everything has to slow down a stride.

“He damaged his knee and had to have it operated on, they took 12 chips of bone out. It was a funny injury really but he’s been sound on it, that’s the main thing. Ridden or otherwise, he’s been very sound on it.”

Jefferson predicts the bay will not make it to the racecourse before February and when he does a switch to hurdling is open to him as he is still a novice over smaller obstacles.

She said: “I’ve got no idea what he’ll be doing, he’s still a novice over hurdles so it’s possible we could revert to hurdling for the rest of the season because I don’t know what there’ll be for him when he comes back chasing-wise.

“He’s only rated 111 over hurdles so if the handicapper leaves him at that I’ll be delighted, it might make more sense to do that but there’s a few more bridges to cross before then.”