Nicky Henderson gave warning last night that Jack The Giant's much-awaited comeback at Cheltenham on Saturday may be put on ice. Heavy rain has made the trainer nervous of saddling his six-year-old in the Paddy Power Gold Cup.

Third favourite at 8-1 with the sponsors, Jack The Giant has been sidelined for ten months by ligament damage. However, the ground is much more of a factor. “It would be verging on the pointless to run him on soft ground,” Henderson said. “This has been his target and he has done a lot of work, but we have to be careful.”

Should Jack The Giant defect, Henderson is likely to divert Barbers Shop to the extended two-and-a-half-mile chase. “I have left Barbers Shop in for that reason,” he said. “He has an engagement over three miles on Friday but I don't want him to get involved in a slog. He would be better off running in the Paddy Power.”

Henderson added that Chomba Womba, a fluent winner at Wincanton on Saturday, is unlikely to join Aigle D'Or in the Greatwood Handicap Hurdle on Sunday. “She will almost certainly wait for a race at Ascot the following weekend,” he said.

Aigle D'Or is owned by J.P. McManus, who also has the Alan King-trained Franchoek in the Greatwood. However, McManus's racing manager, Frank Berrry, said: “I will talk to Alan, but Franchoek has 11st 7lb. That looks like a big task to me, and the horse does have other options.”

Simon Claisse, clerk of the course at Cheltenham, said the weather forecast lent encouragement that the going will be no worse than good-to-soft, with some soft patches. “If the forecast is accurate, we should not have too much more rain after Wednesday,” he said.