Betfair ambassador Paul Nicholls provides a Caldwell Potter update, looks back in Aintree last week and ahead to his Cheltenham contenders this weekend.
The 14-time champion trainer and Betfair Ambassador Paul Nicholls talks us through his runners at Cheltenham on Saturday and Sunday and discusses the performances of some of Team Ditcheat’s big guns over the last week.
Caldwell Potter could return over hurdles
"If it rains, Caldwell Potter could still run in the Betfair Chase. He had another away day and worked very nicely. He is going to need a run - let’s get that right - and I would be surprised if he did win the Betfair Chase if he goes for it.
"I said to everyone last week with No Drama This End that he will need the run, and everyone seems to think it is doom and gloom with him now because he didn’t win and Caldwell Potter is in the same boat. All I need is some rain next week. I am told the ground is quite quick at Haydock, so we are going to need plenty of rain.
"If he doesn’t go to Haydock, I wouldn’t be averse to sticking him in something like the Grade 2 Long Distance Hurdle at Newbury the following week if the ground was right, I just need to get a run into him. Unless you have good ground horses at the moment you are in a bit of trouble."
You will see a completely different horse
"No Drama This End ran ok and he will improve massively for the run. He got left in front, we thought perhaps someone might bowl along with him, but they went no gallop and it turned into a sprint from the second last. But it won’t be lost on him. You have to start somewhere. Another month of hard work, some slower ground over three miles and you will see a completely different horse.
"He needed the run, end of story. He will improve tons for that.
"The plan is to go to Sandown as long as it rains. The chase track at Sandown is very quick right now but the weather forecast looks like it might change next week so that is the plan. Some horses need the run, some don’t. If you saw the other three horses in the paddock I ran that day, they were fit and lean.
"I remember Master Minded went to Aintree the year after he won the Champion Chase and ran in the Old Roan. He was as big as a bull and got beat and it was all doom and gloom. He went to Ascot next time and won and he never stopped winning.
"Look at Rubaud, he went to Carlisle and then with the benefit of a run he showed huge improvement to win the Haldon Gold Cup. I remember Denman, his first chase at Exeter was a bit laboured. He ran ok but was fat as a pig and then he ended up winning his next seven.
"No Drama This End will improve for that run but a properly run race over three miles would be a help! I am 100% confident in him. He hasn’t become an ordinary horse overnight. I could have easily waved the white flag over the ground, but you have to start somewhere. We have a month to Sandown so that is still the plan. Do I want him at his best in October or later in the season? No, he has bigger targets."
All roads lead back to the Red Rum
"Sans Bruit ran a blinder. No one gives him a soft lead anymore and he ended up beaten by a neck. It was a hard race, he is entered at Cheltenham, but I think I am going to wait two weeks and go to Newbury on Coral Gold Cup day and run in a 0-140 two-mile chase which is worth a few quid.
"He likes the ground right now; he doesn’t like soft so while the ground is decent, we will try to win a race or two and then put him away when it gets really wet, and then we will have a crack at the Red Rum again. That will be his spring target."
Options for Aintree hero Rubaud
"The Haldon Gold Cup win with Rubaud was our ninth in the race and it was an awesome performance. It shows how much horses need a run. At Carlisle he ran very well giving everyone weight. I did not see that coming last Friday I must admit but he jumped and travelled well and did everything nicely.
"I am going to keep him going over fences. I will enter him in the Tingle Creek but to be realistic with all the top ones running there he is a little bit shy of that. A more likely option could be that we will freshen him up and go for the Desert Orchid which is a Limited Handicap the day after Boxing Day at Kempton."
Stick To The Board now being targeted at Newbury
"He is very nearly sound again now. He’s had a quiet week, and I am going to try to get him ready for the two-and-a-half-mile race on Coral Gold Cup day at Newbury. It was a minor problem which saw him withdrawn at Aintree on Saturday, but he will be back soon."
Saturday runners at Cheltenham
14:40 Cheltenham – Quebecois
"He could easily have won his seasonal debut and gone up 2lbs, but as it is he's been dropped 1lb, which you're not going to complain about. He's had a run, he's had a day out, and he's had a couple of away days as I've trained him for this race since he came back in.
"He's run very well at Cheltenham twice, last year at the Festival and one on Trials Day, so I actually think he's got a lovely chance. He's got some fantastic form, and being a novice is a plus for us as we can run him in some novice chases when we want to. But he loves Cheltenham and he's been trained for this race.
"He always kept creeping up the handicap for being so consistent, so whether he's well-handicapped, who knows, but that probably applies to quite a lot of them in here. I think he's got a lovely chance, I really do, and especially with the ground, I'd say he's my best chance of the weekend."
15:30 Cheltenham - A King Of Magic
"I'm sure he wants a trip, he went up 12lbs to 129 for winning at Perth which I think was harsh, but Freddie Keighley's taking a handy 5lbs off. He needed a couple of runs last year to find his form, but I think I've got him as straight as I can for a run, and if that's the case, and he's improved, then he's got a great chance."
15:10 Windsor – Fasol
"He's probably a bit frustrating but he always runs well, he loves a flat track and he loves decent ground. I just hope this run is not too soon after Ascot, but he worked very nicely on Thursday morning and seemed happy. It's not unlike Musselburgh, a track he's won at before, so hopefully he'll run very well."
Sunday runner at Cheltenham
13:25 Cheltenham - Pourquoi Pas Papa
"He ran behind Sinnatra on his debut over fences who is a smart horse. The ground was soft enough for him that day, he's only a four-year-old so he's bound to improve for the experience over fences.
"He schooled well this week and I'm sure in my mind he's crying out for two and a half miles, so I'm thinking he'll run very well. His mark of 131 over fences is fair enough. I'm not saying he's well handicapped, but he does get a 4yo allowance off that mark, so yes, he's right in the mix."
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