Paul Nicholls believes Il Ridoto holds solid claims of becoming the first back-to-back winner of the Paddy Power Gold Cup in more than 30 years at Cheltenham on Saturday.
No horse has managed to register successive wins in the Premier Handicap since Bradbury Star, trained by the late Josh Gifford, won the race in 1993 before following up in 1994.
The eight-year-old, who is currently the 4/1 joint-favourite with the race sponsors, is likely to be the only runner in the race for Nicholls with his other entrant, and recent William Hill Old Roan Chase winner Hitman, likely to head elsewhere.
And having finished a solid second on his re-appearance at Chepstow last month Nicholls is positive about his chances of going one better in the defence of his crown in the two and a half miles test.
Nicholls said: “Hitman will either go to Ascot for the 1965 Chase or Huntingdon for the Peterborough Chase so it will just be Il Ridoto in the Paddy Power.
“It was a great day when he won the race last year under Freddie (Gingell), but I suspect Harry (Cobden) will ride him this time.
“He had a nice run at Chepstow the other day, and it was better than we expected. He has come out of that well and he seems well at home.
“The form of that race has since been boosted with the winner, Saint Segal, running well in the Haldon Gold Cup.
“I’m looking forward to it as he comes right at this time of year.”
Kalif needs time and distance
While Nicholls is expecting a big run from Il Ridoto he admits he will be changing routes with stablemate Kalif Du Berlais.
Having signed off last season with a win in the Grade One Rosconn Group Maghull Novices’ Chase at Aintree the five-year-old could only finish fourth on his return in the BetMGM Haldon Gold Cup at Exeter on Friday over an extended two miles one furlong.
Following that run Nicholls will now look at options beyond that trip for the gelded son of Masked Marvel in the future, with races like the Grade Two SkyBet Peterborough Chase at Huntingdon and the December Gold Cup at Cheltenham among potential options.
Nicholls said: “They were flat out and it was over fairly quickly. He wouldn’t have needed the run, I do know that.
“It was a bit different to running in those small field novice chases that he was in. "He won his Grade One, but he could dominate in front and it all goes easy, but we knew that wasn’t going to happen on Friday.
“He wants a trip, and we did think that as a juvenile. He is bred to stay and I think we need to put a line through what happened at Sandown Park last season.
“When he won the Adonis he beat Givemefive and Harry (Cobden) said then that this wants a trip. He is a big strong horse that is seventeen hands so we have got to give him time.
“The December Gold Cup and Peterborough Chase are races he could go in, but we have got others for those. Giving him time is the plan at the moment."
And Nicholls believes he could end up having similar campaigns to two of his former Grade One stars in their second season over fences.
He added: “He strikes me as being a bit in the mould of Clan Des Obeaux and Frodon who struggled a bit in their second season over fences, but then when they were six took it forward over a trip.
“He doesn’t become an ordinary horse overnight and he is still a good horse and we know that as you don’t win a Grade One as a five-year-old like he did.
“He probably needs to strengthen up as he is a big raw horse.”
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