Charlie Mann said today he would be happy to switch Air Force One to Newbury's Aon Chase on Saturday should Sunday's Irish Hennessy Gold Cup be lost to the weather.

Mann, who is keen give his talented seven-year-old chaser an outing before a tilt at the Cheltenham Gold Cup in March, said: "I have heard that the Leopardstown meeting could be run the following Sunday if it's called off, but that is not good for me.

"That takes us closer to Cheltenham and the last thing we want is for him to have a hard run in heavy ground."

Newbury will hold an inspection tomorrow morning to see whether racing will go ahead on Saturday while the prospect of Leopardstown surviving is also in the balance.

General manager Tom Burke said: "We're waterlogged at the moment, as we had heavy snow and almost two inches of rain after that. We need a big improvement."

Mann will be looking for Air Force One to bounce back from an injury sustained in his last run in the King George VI Chase on Boxing Day when finishing well behind Kauto Star.

"I know people have written him off, but he pulled ligaments across his back and when we took the saddle off him, he had a duck egg coming up on his back.

"He was very sore for a long time," the trainer told the Daily Telegraph.

"But after a little break, he has come back very well. I'm very keen to get a run into him this weekend.

Air Force One was trading at 11-1 for the Aon Chase on Betfair this morning and is a best-priced 14-1 with VCbet and Coral for the Leopardstown contest.