Saturday racing news: Yala Enki handed entry in Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham

The Ditcheat handler is considering giving the 11 year old his third outing in the space of three weeks in the Grade Two contest, which was claimed 12 months ago by subsequent Cheltenham Gold Cup runner-up Santini.

Having finished third in the Welsh Grand National at Chepstow on January 9th, Yala Enki opened his account for the campaign on Saturday when registering back-to-back victories in the Weatherbys Portman Cup Chase at Taunton with Bryony Frost on board.

And Nicholls said: “If it poured with rain on Thursday and Friday I would be kicking myself if I hadn’t put him in the race, though it is a tentative entry. He is hard to place off his mark of 161 and he has not got any kind of penalty in this race.

“Some of the others that are going to run in the Gold Cup might not want a slog at this stage round Cheltenham so it could cut up."

Reflecting on Yala Enki’s latest success at Taunton, the 11 times champion trainer, who was in attendance at the Somerset track, said he was always confident he would find a way back past eventual runner-up If The Cap Fits, despite appearing to hand the initiative to the Grade One-winning hurdler following a mistake at the fourth last.

He added: “It only looked like he wasn’t going to win at one stage as he made that mistake four out. He would have probably won even easier had he not made that mistake. It was a good staying performance and it was good to get his head back in front.

“He has come out of Taunton well. He ate up fine afterwards and he cantered well this morning. It would be a quick turnaround to go to Cheltenham but he is as hard as nails and is a little bit of a one off.”

Paddy Power '45 Sleeps To Cheltenham' Cotswold Chase

• Bristol de Mai
• Lake View Lad
• Lord Du Mesnil
• Mister Malarky
• Native River
• Saint Calvados
• Santini
• The Conditional
• Yala Enki
• Yorkhill