Paul Nicholls feels Inch House has an ‘outside chance’ of following in the hoofprints of stablemate Kandoo Kid and giving owner Michael Geoghegan back-to-back wins in the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury on Saturday, November 29.
The eight-year-old, who finished sixth on his return to action at Cheltenham last month, was one of five horses Nicholls sent up to the event alongside Brave Kingdom, Captain Bellamy, Inthewaterside and Tahmuras.
Nicholls said: “Last season was a write off. He didn’t gallop very well here and he didn’t run very well here, but he had a bad fall on his last run for Jonjo (O’Neill) at Ayr in the spring and he never got over that. I couldn’t train him last season so I left him off.
“He has come back in this season as a totally different animal. He ran very nicely on his debut at Cheltenham and we were thrilled with that as he needed that run badly.
“It was like watching two different horses there, and it was the same here again today from a year ago. Harry (Cobden) was thrilled then so we are in there pitching.
“He has gone well today with lots of enthusiasm and he has an outside chance. He has been prepared for the day and that was just what we needed today, but as we know it is a hard race to win.
“He hasn’t quite got the class of Kandoo Kid, but he has got no weight, and it is a handicap.
"He is tough, and he stays, and he likes going left handed so he has lots of things that he makes me think he has got more than an outside chance.
“He needs a few to come out to get in, but I think he will sneak in close to the bottom of the weights which is no bad thing in a handicap.
"It is nice to have runners in this race, and he is the one for this year, and hopefully all goes well for the next ten days and we get a bit of rain.”
As for his other four gallopers Nicholls has not ruled out running Brave Kingdom, Inthewaterside and Tahmuras in the Coral Sir Peter O’Sullevan Memorial Handicap Chase on Saturday’s undercard, while Captain Bellamy could contest the Coral Racing Club Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase 24 hours earlier.
He added: “Inthewaterside is a big horse that is a little bit injury prone, but if he is okay he could run in the Sir Peter O’Sullevan along with Tahmuras and Brave Kingdom, depending on the ground.
“Brave Kingdom would be a bit of an if as he needs soft ground, but I could run all three if it was the right ground.
“Inthewaterside was very good the last day here, but he needs to progress now as he had one run over fences so he is a bit inexperienced over fences. He has to go straight into a handicap, but he is a solid jumper.
“He could be a horse next year that we look at the Coral Gold Cup.
“Captain Bellamy, who was the other lad that went very nicely, will run in the novices’ handicap chase on the Friday.”
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