Paul Nicholls pulls Bravemansgame out of Cheltenham after downpour makes ground unsuitable

The resulting conditions made the ground unsuitable for Nicholls' big hope Bravemansgame, who was ante-post favourite for the Brown Advisory Novices' Chase.

Irish challenger Fury Road was also withdrawn from the Grade One race, leaving a field of nine headed by the Venetia Williams-trained L’Homme Presse.

Nicholls said: "When I saw they were watering last night with all the rain that was forecast, I must admit I was worried. If they'd watched Countryfile on Sunday they would have known it was forecast to be a very wet day today. Why water when you have a wet day forecast?

"I don't want to get into any arguments about it because being clerk of the course must be a very hard job but today was always going to be wet.

"Bravemansgame is a lovely horse with a bright future and could end up being a King George winner. He's a speed horse and today's conditions wouldn't have suited him. "

As it turned out, L’Homme Presse completed a five-timer over fences to remain unbeaten under Charlie Deutsch.

Ahoy Senor made the running in the early stages, tracked by L’Homme Presse, who took it up at the seventh of the 19th fences and jumped his rivals into submission.

Though Farouk D’alene threw down a challenge turning in, he came down after jumping the penultimate fence, but it never looked like the winner would be beaten.

To his credit, Ahoy Senor, whose jumping at times was still a little novicey, continued to stay on but in the end was still three and a half lengths adrift, with Gaillard Du Mesnil sticking on for third, a further length and three-quarters back.

Later on in the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase, the Nicky Henderson-trained Shishkin was pulled up by Nico de Boinville after jumping the sixth from home as Energumene won the race for Willie Mullins.

Of Shiskin’s run, Henderson said: “He wasn’t where he wanted to be and I knew why, he just couldn’t get out of it (the ground).

“We’re in very extreme ground, yes he’s won on soft ground but you’re going round in heavy ground.

“That is not his scene, obviously.”

Asked about the decision to water the ground, Henderson said: "I walked round on Sunday and it was soft – and you need very little to change it. We haven’t had little, we’ve had very much. They’ve put water on it because the boys thought that going down the hill was getting quick.

“The forecast obviously didn’t predict the weather we’ve witnessed so I’m not shouting and screaming. They did their best and took a decision. It is what it is and there’s no point crying about it. I’m not blaming anyone."