Bravemansgame's connections celebrate at Kempton

Paul Nicholls delighted with Bravemansgame season so far

By Sporting Life

13:06 · THU February 16, 2023

Paul Nicholls has enjoyed a terrific start to the season with a host of Grade 1 successes courtesy of Tattersalls purchases Bravemansgame, Hermes Allen and Tahmuras.

The Ditcheat handler is now turning his attention to the upcoming Cheltenham Festival for which he has a strong team lined up.

Nicholls told Tattersalls Cheltenham: “I think there’s 15 or 16 horse that will probably run. We’ve been a bit light on horses the last couple of years. It’s exciting to have a few more to run and probably some with nice chance. As always though it will be very competitive.”

BRAVEMANSGAME – BOODLES GOLD CUP (G1)

Owned by John Dance and Bryan Drew, BRAVEMANSGAME was purchased at the Tattersalls Cheltenham Festival Sale for £370,000 by Nicholls and Tom Malone from Donnchadh Doyle’s Monbeg Stables.

Winner of the bet365 Charlie Hall Chase (G2) at Wetherby on his seasonal debut, Bravemansgame landed his third Grade 1 success when storming clear in the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase at Kempton last time out.

His 14 lengths victory in the three-mile Boxing Day showpiece provided his trainer a record extending 13th victory in the race. The eight-year-old will now head straight to the Cheltenham Festival for the Boodles Gold Cup.

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“I think one of our best chances of the week is Bravemansgame,’ said Nicholls. “I’m very happy with what he has done this season. Winning the Charlie Hall first time up was great. We kept him nice and fresh for the King George at Kempton on Boxing Day and he won very nicely. We’re in a very good place with him.’

“He’s a bigger, stronger horse this year. He looks fantastic. I’ve worked out little ways of training him now to get him right. I think he’s very good when he’s very fit and very fresh, so hence why we haven’t run him since Kempton. I didn’t see any point of going anywhere as there wasn’t a case of needing to. Hopefully we’ve got him at his very best for the Gold Cup.”

Nicholls has completed the King George and Gold Cup double on three occasions, including twice with the mighty Kauto Star, and he believes that victory in the King George should put Bravemansgame in a strong position ahead of the festival.

Nicholls added: “It’s good to have a plan with a horse and I always felt – we’re lucky to have won it so many times – that he was the right horse to win the race. Plenty of horses win that and then win the Gold Cup. It’s a good steppingstone for the Gold Cup, but it’s got to be the right time.”

HERMES ALLEN – BALLYMORE NOVICES’ HURDLE (G1)

Purchased at the Tattersalls Cheltenham December Sale for £350,000 by his trainer and Aiden Murphy from Caroline McCaldin and her father Wilson Dennison, Grade 1 winner HERMES ALLEN is set to line up in Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle (G1) at the Cheltenham Festival.

A spectacular 27 lengths winner of a maiden hurdle at Stratford last October, the six-year-old went on to win the Ballymore Novices' Hurdle (G2) at Cheltenham at the November meeting, before securing his first Grade 1 success in the Coral Challow Novices' Hurdle at Newbury last time out.

“Hermes Allen is a very smart horse. He wasn’t like that though when we started with him last spring. He came quite immature, and he didn’t show anything at home. I wasn’t going to run him and embarrass myself, so I thought let’s wait till he’s right.’

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“He rocks up at Stratford and I honestly didn’t know what to expect. He had a big reputation and a big price tag. He ran well, jumped off, made all and won by 30 lengths! It completely surprised us.”

A course and distance winner, Hermes Allen is current favourite for the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham, with Aintree and Punchestown also under consideration after Cheltenham later in the season.

“I’ve said to the guys we don’t need to run him again. We’ll run him in the Ballymore, and we can run him somewhere afterwards, at Aintree or Punchestown. We didn’t need to prove anything by running him anywhere in the meantime.”

TAHMURAS – SKY BET SUPREME NOVICES’ HURDLE (G1)

Previously knocked down to Donnchadh Doyle for €10,000 at the Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale, TAHMURAS was purchased at the Tattersalls Cheltenham May Sale for £68,000 by Noel Fehily’s Hagg Hill Farm from Doyle’s Monbeg Stables.

Unbeaten in three starts this season, the Noel Fehily Racing Syndicates-owned six-year-old was last seen when winning the Grade 1 Unibet Tolworth Novices' Hurdle at Sandown in January. He will now aim to make it two successive Grade 1 victories when lining up in the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

Tahmuras on his way to winning at Sandown

Reflecting on his season to date, Nicholls told Tattersalls Cheltenham: “He won very impressively on his debut at Chepstow, and I said to the boys straight away, Noel [Fehily] and Dave [Crosse], I think we’ll head straight to Haydock for a Listed race, and if he wins that we could end up with a horse for the Tolworth. It’s gone to plan completely really.’

“Noel’s syndicate has done well and it’s great for them to have a great horse. They get a real kick and real buzz out of him.”

STAY AWAY FAY – ALBERT BARTLETT NOVICES’ HURDLE (G1)

Second in the Grade 2 Albert Bartlett River Don Novices' Hurdle at Doncaster last time out, STAY AWAY FAY will step up to Grade 1 company for the first time in the three-mile Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham.

The six-year-old by Shantou was purchased at the Tattersalls Cheltenham December Sale for £305,000 by Nicholls and Tom Malone from Matty Flynn O’Connor’s Ballycrystal Stables.

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“Stay Away Fay was bought having won his point-to-point in Ireland,’ said Nicholls. “He won nicely on his debut at Newbury. He’s one that didn’t show a lot at home – workman like gallop. We set out for the race at Doncaster the other day, the River Don over three miles, and I think he was awfully unlucky. If Lorcan rode the race again he would do something completely different, he got in more trouble than you can imagine and only just failed.’

“He got a mark of 136 after that so put’s him right up there with all those horses. He’s a proper horse and he is going to be a proper chaser. He wants three miles so he’s going to run in the Albert Bartlett and could go onto Aintree afterwards.”

RARE MIDDLETON – JCB TRIUMPH HURDLE (G1)

Nicholls challenge in the JCB Triumph Hurdle (G1) may be headed by RARE MIDDLETON, who is being considered for the Grade 1 contest after claiming a maiden hurdle at Taunton on debut for the Ditcheat handler.

The four-year-old was purchased at the Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale for 215,000 guineas by Nicholls and Tom Malone from Andy Oliver’s Stragrane House Stables, after previously being knocked down to Oliver for £6,500 at the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale.

“Rare Middleton is a nice juvenile. He had two runs in Ireland where he was first and second. He came from the same home as Dodging Bullets and Malone was always dead keen on Reve Middleton. He [Rare Middleton] had done well with Andy Oliver and Malone had tracked the horse for a long time. He was mad keen that we bought him.’

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“I ran him quick enough for one that has just come to us, having bought him and got him schooled at Taunton, but I thought I just want to let him get on with the job. He can learn as much on the track as he can at home. He won really nicely that day - quite cheekily with Cobden, jumped well and did well. Only half ready to be honest with you.’

“He runs in the Adonis Juvenile Novices’ Hurdle at Kempton in about 10 days and that will tell us whether we go to the Triumph Hurdle or whether we go to Aintree with him, or whether we’re not good enough! But I think he’s a lovely horse.”

The next sale to take place at Tattersalls Cheltenham is the Cheltenham February Sale on Thursday 23rd February.

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