Paul Nicholls has raised the possibility of stepping No Drama This End up in trip at Aintree for a tilt at the Oddschecker Sefton Novices’ Hurdle.
After suffering defeat when sent off favourite for the Grade One Turners Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival on Wednesday the Walk In The Park gelding could now atone for that reversal at the same level in the extended three mile contest on April 10th.
However, the six-year-old, who claimed Grade One honours in the Coral Challow Novices’ Hurdle at Newbury in December, will also have the option of running in the Turners Mersey Novices’ Hurdle over two and a half miles at the Merseyside track 24 hours later according to the Ditcheat handler.
Nicholls said: “No Drama This End is fine. It was frustrating with some of those starts last week. After he jumped two, and having watched it again, he was never going to win from there.
“The first time when they were all going he would have been alright then you get a cold start, and he clipped heels and it all just didn’t happen. We have just got to put it behind us and move forward.
“I wouldn’t mind going three miles with him at Aintree. If it was soft, or testing, we would go two and a half miles. We have got to make sure he is alright, but he hasn’t had a hard race.”
Joining No Drama This End up at Aintree will be Regent’s Stroll, who finished third at the Festival on Thursday in the Grade Two Jack Richards Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase, a race Nicholls won 12 months ago with Caldwell Potter.
And the Walk In The Park gelding, who is part-owned by former Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson, will now bid to follow in the hoofprints of Caldwell Potter when stepping up to three miles one furlong for a tilt at the Mildmay Novices’ Chase.
Nicholls added: “He will run over three miles one up at Aintree. I’m pleased with him. You think how he has grown up from Newbury, when he bolted under Harry, you could say he now doesn’t almost need a hood on.
“He is behaving better and he is settling better. He now basically wants three miles. If he relaxes over three miles that is where you will see the best of him.”
And Tutti Quanti could also be Aintree bound in a bid to leave his no show in the Unibet Champion Hurdle behind, with Nicholls considering stepping the six-year-old up to two and a half miles for a crack at Grade One William Hill Aintree Hurdle.
He added: “I don’t know what happened at the start with him, but he only had a canter around the other day. The options for him are the Scottish Champion Hurdle at Ayr or the two and a half mile Grade One up at Aintree.
“I’ve always thought he would like two and a half miles, but he would want a bit of cut in the ground.
“To be honest with you the other day it was probably a bit quick for him, even if he had jumped off with them, but you can’t have everything right every time.”
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