Log-in for free with your Sporting Life, ITV7 or Sky Bet account to check out the latest in-depth Stable Tour following our visit to Paul Nicholls' Ditcheat stable.
The days when Paul Nicholls could count on the likes of Kauto Star, Denman and Master Minded supplying him Cheltenham Festival success might be long over, but it would be foolish to write off his chances of victory at this year’s meeting.
Despite not having a Grade One superstar to call upon, the Ditcheat master will be sending a team to the four-day meeting which still boasts more than enough potential to make their presence felt.
Exciting mares Jubilee Alpha and Just A Rose hold solid claims in the Grade Two Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle, while Shearer could find the back of the net under Nicholls’ daughter Olive in the St James’ Place Festival Challenge Cup Open Hunters’ Chase.
And despite not having the superstars of yesteryear to go to war with, Nicholls is still looking forward to battling with the best of them in search of securing winner number 50 at the prestigious meeting.
Nicholls said: “It is not as strong as when you had Kauto Star, Denman, Big Buck’s and Master Minded. They were amazing horses and I was lucky to have them. I’m realistic to know you can’t overface horses and you have to run them in the right races on the right day. We will do the best we can with what we have got.
“I think the two mares Jubilee Alpha and Just A Rose have got good chances and it is hard to split them. No Drama This End could have a chance, but the Champion Bumper is a hard race to win and I’ve never won that. Shearer would have a bit of a squeak.
“There are chances there and like everybody you want to go there with chances. Only one horse can win and then you have 19 or 20 that lose in each race, so it is hard to have winners there.
“I’m not saying this will win, or that will win, but they have got chances. They have not got throw away chances, and touchwood, I’ve not got any owners putting pressure on me to have runners at Cheltenham unless they are good enough."
Cheltenham Festival contenders
Caldwell Potter (My Pension Expert Arkle Novices’ Chase/Jack Richards Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase)
I know we haven’t seen the best of him yet and I still don’t really know what trip he wants, but Mr Hales was adamant he was a two miler because all of his family wanted two miles, but I’m not convinced about that.
Around Windsor the other day he was flat out. He didn’t run badly at Windsor and he came out of that rated 147 over fences, which, I think is a couple of pounds too high. He is going to run in the novices’ handicap chase over the extended two and a half miles at the Festival unless the ground is bottomless as he is still in the Arkle on the first day.
I’m hoping when the weights come out tomorrow that the handicapper has seen that his form is not as sharp and that he might be 145 not 147.
The reason John (Hales) got him for the guys is that they sadly lost Hermes Allen at Sandown on that Saturday otherwise he wouldn’t be here now. John was determined to buy him whatever he was going to make. Once they come through that gate in my opinion they are all worth the same.
Of course, because he has got a high price tag, he gets slagged every time he does anything. To be fair to him he won first time up, and he ran well at Cheltenham the next day when I ran him a bit quick, but he got some experience and he didn’t run too bad around Windsor.
He is a nice horse, and he will win lots of races in the future, and he is the sort of horse that might win a Paddy Power Gold Cup in the autumn. He has had problems with his feet and last spring he was a nightmare. We are on top of that now and the more it rains for him the better.
I could see him running really well in that novices’ handicap chase and plenty of cut in the ground would suit him nicely. He has got enough boot to travel where he likes and he will be good and handy. It is all about experience with some of these horses.
Whatever he cost, he cost, and we don’t look at that now. We have just got to try and get the best out of him. We have got plenty to work on and he is a horse plenty of people would like to have in their yard. I can see why John wanted to buy him and we will have a lot of fun with him.
Ginny’s Destiny (Ultima Handicap Chase/Ryanair Chase/TrustATrader Plate Handicap Chase)
He had a good season last season winning three races at Cheltenham. He ran very well in the Grade One novices’ chase at the Festival and he ran very well in the Grade One two and a half mile novices’ chase at Aintree as he was second in that as well.
I think it has taken him a little while to get over that. He has run okay-ish, but not as we were hoping he would in the three runs this season. He takes a fair bit of getting fit, but I think we have got him right now. He has dropped down the handicap a bit as he is down to 149 now.
We are going to run him in the TrustATrader Plate on the Thursday and hope he comes back to form. He tends to like Cheltenham and he likes the New Course. I thought on last year’s form we would be vying for the Ryanair. He is still in the Ryanair, but now he has dropped down a bit, we won’t run him in that.
I think he is paying for having some hard races last season. I’d say he is just coming back to himself. He is in the Ultima, but the owners can’t go on that day, but I think we will leave going three miles until next season.
He is not slow. We took him to Lambourn before the start of the season and Nico de Boinville rode him and he said he wouldn’t be lost in the Haldon Gold Cup as he is not slow.
He just hasn’t had his way this year. He hasn’t been able to get in front jumping and getting into a rhythm. I do think next season he will be going three miles, but we will leave that until then. It is hard carrying 12 stone in those handicaps when everyone is following you.
Last season was a bit easier as he started down in the handicap and crept through it. He did run well in two Grade Ones in the spring, but he had two very hard races.
Henri The Second (Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle Final)
He will run in the Pertemps Final as long as there is plenty of cut in the ground as he loves soft ground. He won at Sandown in December very nicely with Freddie on.
He then ran in the £100,000 handicap back there where he finished second and he ran very well, but I think he came up against one. He has crept up the weights and is now nine pounds above his last winning mark. He stays forever, but he wants soft ground.
He will jump fences next season and that will be his job. A mark of 134 is not a bad mark. He does like soft ground so we will have to see what we do. He won that Grade Two novices’ hurdle at Sandown Park then he went chasing and fractured his pelvis when he fell. If we go back chasing that will be when we see the best of him.
Insurrection (Jack Richards Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase)
He might run in the extended two and a half miles novices’ handicap chase as well. I thought he was badly handicapped, but he went and won up at Musselburgh and he went up a load. He is now rated 142.
I think he went flat out in the Rising Stars, but I think a lot of them were flat out that day as that good horse of Ben Pauling’s (Handstands) fell and nearly brought us down. He is what he is and off 142 I think he has got a lot to do.
Il Ridoto (TrustATrader Plate Handicap Chase)
He is going to run in the Plate on the Thursday. The key to this horse is that he needs good ground. When he won the Paddy Power Gold Cup it was decent ground and he had a light weight. As a typical handicapper he won and went up eight pounds.
You know your mark you will win with him, but over and above that you don’t win. He has run okay since. The ground the last day was too soft. He did drop down two pounds and he is getting closer to the mark he was on in the Paddy Power.
He loves Cheltenham, but he just wants good ground. If it gets too soft it is not perfect for him. He is a Paddy Power Gold Cup winner and he deserves to take his chance in that race. Freddie will probably ride him again if Harry rides Ginny’s Destiny.
If it got very testing I might even think twice about it and go to Aintree or somewhere else with him. He is a really consistent, good, fun horse that gives the boys that own him a lot of fun and it gave Freddie a great day winning the Paddy Power Gold Cup.
He has done very well for what he cost. He has won a Paddy Power Gold Cup and he won a good race last season. He is a good fun horse.
Jubilee Alpha (Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle)
She has got some great form in the book. She won her first bumper last season and was then second up at Aintree.
We gave her plenty of time. She was a bit unlucky on her debut at Newbury in the Listed mares’ novices’ hurdle on Coral Gold Cup day. She just made a couple of green mistakes and only just failed to win. She went to Taunton for the Listed mares’ novices’ hurdle over Christmas and won that very well.
The form of that race looks very good then she won at Windsor and that form has turned out good. I don’t think she was at her best that day as we ran her bit quick after winning at Taunton over Christmas, but I didn’t want to go to the Jane Seymour in desperate ground
I thought we will give her plenty of time between Windsor to Cheltenham. She is a smart filly that is fairly short in the betting. She is a really good filly and she can’t have done anymore than keep winning like she has.
She has got more experience and that would put you towards her out of the two. They always work together, but you wouldn’t pick them out as they are two similar fillies at home.
Harry (Cobden) is going to ride her as Freddie won on the other one and that is the obvious jockey bookings, but experience counts for a lot I suppose.
Just A Rose (Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle)
We got her last season, and she wasn’t cheap at the Cheltenham sale, having won her point-to-point.The horse she beat that day (Country Mile) is quite a smart horse for Dan (Skelton).
We gave her plenty of time as she just took a while to come to herself. She went to Taunton six weeks ago and absolutely bolted up in a novices’ hurdle. She won by 26 lengths and Freddie couldn’t pull her up. She galloped all the way through the line.
I’ve not been able to run her since. I wanted to go to Sandown last week, but I didn’t want to run her in really desperate ground. She is just coming to herself now. I didn’t want to run her at Sandown as A she was not good in her coat and B the ground was too heavy.
I could have looked at Taunton this week, but that was getting close enough. She is going to have to go to Cheltenham lacking that bit of experience, but she has won a point-to-point. I think she is quite smart and I don’t think there is a lot between her and Jubilee Alpha.
It is all very well winning one race and looking fantastic. I would have liked to have seen a little bit more, but Freddie will ride her as Harry will ride the other filly, but we like her. She could not have done any more than she did by winning as she did in a fast time. It would be nice to see it happen again and we like her a lot.
She is a very laid back filly and the preliminaries won’t worry her at all. She has won a point-to-point and done plenty of schooling, but it is the fact she has just had one run, but plenty of novices have won there off the back of one run. She is an interesting filly.
Kabral Du Mathan (William Hill County Handicap Hurdle)
He has done really well since we had him. He won his only start for us last year at Huntingdon then he had a little problem and we left him off. He won at Kempton on his debut this season, then got beat a short-head in the big handicap hurdle at Ascot before Christmas.
He was a little bit unlucky as he made a mistake at the second last when he didn’t want to. He was second in the big race at Windsor the other day over hurdles, but he hated Windsor and the ground was really testing and tacky.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing doing this job and I wish I hadn’t run him then and saved him for Newbury on better ground, but he still ran well. He doesn’t want it too soft and the idea would be to run him in the County Hurdle. Normally on the last two days on the New Course it can be decent ground.
He is a real good fun handicapper that has run really well and has been unlucky not to win one. He will be chasing next season. He will have a good each-way chance as he travels well.
Kalif Du Berlais (My Pension Expert Arkle Novices’ Chase/Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Challenge Cup Handicap Chase)
I think he is a smart horse. I shouldn’t have run him the other day over two and a half miles at Sandown on very testing ground. It was one of those situations as John (Hales, part owner) had just died and I couldn’t run him against L’Eau du Sud at Warwick (in the Kingmaker) as he was owned by the same connections.
We worked out he doesn’t want two and a half miles in the mud. He is definitely more of a two miler. He has lots of jumping ability as you saw when he won at Cheltenham earlier in the season.
He is still in the Arkle, but he won’t run in that unless anything happened to L’Eau du Sud and he is in the Grand Annual, but he has now gone up to a mark of 152, which is going to make life quite hard. I’m minded to keep him fresh and gp for the two miles Grade One novices’ chase at Aintree as that would suit him really well, and it would suit his jumping style really well.
He is only five years old and I know for a fact that we haven’t seen the best of him. Give him another summer, and start him off in something like the Haldon Gold Cup, we will have another good season.
I’m sure he is a two miler at this stage and not a two and a half miler. It was probably a bit of an error running him the other day, but I was a bit stuck where to go. We learnt our lesson, but he has come out of that well. He could go to Cheltenham, but it is more likely he will go to Aintree.
There are only 19 days before Cheltenham and Aintree and if you have had a hard race at Cheltenham you aren’t going to win at Aintree, so I would rather keep him for Aintree and let a few of those have a scrap at Cheltenham. You have to balance what is right for him.
Monmiral (Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle/Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle)
He was last year’s Pertemps Final winner. He has been running really well this season, but he is no man’s land a little bit as he is off 149 now. I suspect he will have 12st when the weights come out tomorrow for the Pertemps and it is either go for that or run him in the Stayers’ Hurdle.
He has been running really well in those Graded races as he ran well at Newbury and at Cheltenham, but I suppose the best you could hope for, if all the best ones turn up, is getting placed in the Stayers’ Hurdle.
We have got to evaluate between now, and the Festival, and study the weights to see if we run him in the Pertemps or if we go for the Stayers’ Hurdle. It is a shame he doesn’t jump fences as he is a typical chaser. He looks really well for him and he will have an away day with a few of them this week.
Whatever we run him in he will run really well, but you are not going to stand here and say he will win a Stayers’ Hurdle. We will decide nearer the time. I wasn’t that surprised he won the Pertemps last year as he had been jumping fences, but he hated it and that is why I sent him to the Pertemps qualifier at Chepstow.
I thought if we got qualified he would have a chance of getting placed, but I’m not saying I thought he would win, but he ran nicely and going back over hurdles suited him. He ran well in the Cleeve Hurdle and he could easily run into a place. I think that is probably the favoured place to run him in as it would be hard to win off 12 stone.
No Drama This End (Weatherbys Champion Bumper)
He is a nice Walk In The Park. How he runs in the Champion Bumper will determine his future. He will be a smart horse when he goes novice hurdling next season. He won his only point-to-point for Will Biddick at Badbury Rings last year when he won by half of the track. I don’t know what that form is but we got him off Will as we liked him.
He doesn’t show a lot at home so we took him to Wincanton for a gallop three weeks before the Warwick race and we were pleasantly surprised how well he went on the track on soft ground. What took me by surprise was the gallop at Wincanton as he followed them round and the passed everything. He looked quite that smart day. We went to Warwick that looked quite competitive and Dan’s horse (Keops Des Bordes), that was second, was very well fancied.
He won very nicely and travelled well in the race. He quickened up without Harry having to ask too much of him. He won that race very nicely and with bumpers who knows what the form is worth. The third horse (Cinquenta) got beat in a bumper at Fontwell on Sunday, but he was a mile behind him.
As long as the ground is soft he will run in the Champion Bumper and I think is one of the best British bumper horses on form. He is not a flashy horse at home, and he definitely saves his best for the track, but whatever he does at Cheltenham, he will be a lovely horse for the future.
He jumps well already and he will be novice hurdling in the autumn whatever he does. He will have an away day somewhere this week. Teeshan was a bit racy and keen in the Champion Bumper, but Captain Teague ran very well at a big price and he is pretty much on a par with Captain Teague.
He is a big scopey horse and he won’t worry about the occasion as he is very laid back. He is a nice horse and we are looking forward to running him. It didn’t do Captain Teague any harm running in the Champion Bumper and I think Aintree might be a bit sharp for him as it is a faster track and he is a horse with lots of stamina.
Shearer (St James’s Place Festival Challenge Cup Open Hunters’ Chase)
I part own Shearer now with Max McNeill. Two years ago he won his only two chases at Ludlow and Aintree. He got a leg injury and had two years off so I did a bit of a deal with Max and I kept half with him. I said we will get him back in two years time and try and get him qualified for the Hunters’ Chase at the Festival for Olive (Nicholls) to ride and so far it has worked out brilliantly.
He won very well the first time out on ground he absolutely hated at Ffos Las, but he still bolted in. I ran him very quickly at Taunton last week as I had to as it was the only chance I had to qualify for Cheltenham and he had to finish either first or second and he won again.
Olive is looking forward to riding him and he is unbeaten in four runs over fences. At his best he was rated 139, but he is not a 139 horse now, but he is probably a good 130 horse.
Horses like Pacha Du Polder have run well in the race in the past. I think he will give Olive a really good ride. He will stay forever and he has won over three miles at Cheltenham. The trip is no problem for him, and he probably has got enough class, he just needs it all to go right for him.
He is unexposed over fences, and he is enjoying himself, but I just hope having had two years off, and two quick runs, he is okay. He did have two proper leg injuries, but we have given him lots of time. He came in early and he has been hacking about doing plenty. It was a good plan.
He went a good gallop around Wincanton one day and he then went and won. It is nice to be able to support your daughter. For her to win this would be amazing and she has been third already on Shantou Flyer.
Tutti Quanti (Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle/Turners Novices’ Hurdle)
He is in the Supreme and Turners, but I will leave that up to the owner if he wants to run or not.
Grand National Festival contenders
Bravemansgame (Randox Grand National)
He has done amazingly well really. I’ve always felt the Grand National might be a good race for him. He has dropped to a reasonable mark now as at one time he was as high as 167, but he is now 155.
He ran very well around Haydock Park the first day in the Betfair Chase. He has run well without having that old sparkle, but you could argue now since he had that second in the Gold Cup behind Galopin Des Champs he has probably just dropped off a little bit.
155 is probably a reflection of his form now. If he takes to Aintree and he jumps well he has got a touch of class. We are going to keep him nice and fresh. He ran well in the Denman Chase the other day, but we hadn’t really murdered him beforehand.
He ran okay and he enjoyed himself and jumped well. If he takes to it he will enjoy it, but if he doesn’t he won’t. There is no reason he shouldn’t as he has got class and he will travel well and he jumps really nicely. As long as he doesn’t over-jump, he is an interesting horse to run in a Grand National.
He probably is at a similar point to where Neptune Collonges was. He was a real dour stayer and you have got to question whether he is a dour stayer. If it was very testing ground you would worry a little bit. The Grand National could bring out improvement. He might love it and one thing he will do is travel.
He probably has started thinking about things a little bit, but you would if you had as many hard races that he has had. I think he is a horse that has overperformed. He has never been a Denman or a Kauto Star or one of those mega stars. Of course when they don’t run quite so well they get slagged a bit.
He is a tough, genuine horse that has probably done well for the level he is at. I wouldn’t mind a few more like him. I think the owner is hoping for James Reveley if he is free. That is not set in stone as a lot can happen between now and then.
Hitman (Randox Grand National)
He is another one a bit like Bravemansgame as I’m convinced that he always runs above his level of ability. He has run some fantastic races as he was second in the Old Roan, he was second in that big handicap at Ascot under a big weight, and then he was second in the Denman Chase.
He is a great horse that gives his owners a lot of fun, but he hasn’t quite got his head in front for a while. He is always right on the limit on his handicap mark or in those graded races it is quite tough for him.
He is going to run in the Grand National. He will give the guys a great day out and I think Freddie Gingell will ride him as he gets on well with him. If he takes to it he could love it. He has all the ability in the world and he will travel well in the race so he won’t be outpaced.
He will jump for fun, but stamina is the issue, but sometimes in Grand National until you try. They always used to say in the Grand National you need a two and a half mile horse to win it and he is that. He has been staying well lately as he stayed well in the Denman Chase.
He is still in the Ryanair and if we ran him there we wouldn’t be going to Aintree. If he didn’t run in the Grand National he would run in the Bowl at Aintree.
Kandoo Kid (Randox Grand National)
I’d like to think he has our best chance in the Grand National. Harry (Cobden) will ride him so that says it all.
He is a Coral Gold Cup winner and they have a great record in the race. He ran well in the Topham last season and jumped fantastically well. He had a great time and another half-a-furlong and he would have probably nearly won.
I said to Harry then that his two targets next season will be the Coral Gold Cup and the Grand National. We have done one already and he is now off to Aintree. He is a big strong horse that jumps well. He is very relaxed and has plenty of stamina as you saw in the Coral Gold Cup.
I’ve purposely not run him since then as I didn’t want to go up any more in the weights. If he ran in the Gold Cup one day it wouldn’t surprise me. I don’t think we have seen the best of him. He had a few setbacks and he has just gradually climbed the ranks. He is entered at Newbury on Saturday over two and a half miles and we will probably let him run now it is soft.
He needs a sharpener before he runs so he might as well run there instead of going for a gallop. Saturday will be all about getting a run into him as it will then be five weeks before the big day. He looks great and he loves going left handed.
Pic D’Orhy (My Pension Expert Melling Chase)
It was an awesome performance at Ascot the other day. Lots of people have asked me why don’t you run him in the Ryanair, but we have always thought Cheltenham might not suit him.
Ascot the other day was his Gold Cup as he had been trained hard for that, as you can see he was ready, and he did that nicely. He doesn’t want to run too closely on top of each other. Aintree, in the Melling, which he has won before, is over two and a half miles and it is our job to get him ready for that.
He likes a little bit of a gap between his runs and if he is on song, like he was the other day, he is an absolutely fantastic horse. He has got a great record and he has won nearly a million pounds. I suppose the other day was as good a run as he has done.
In the Silviniaco Conti Chase last year he gave weight to Banbridge and that has turned out to be red hot form.
I’m very tempted this year to run him in the King George as I think the track suits him and he will definitely get three miles now. Next season we might do Ascot in November then go for the King George as I’m sure he would run well in it. I think he is as good as ever.
Rubaud (EBC Group Manifesto Novices’ Chase)
He will run in the Manifesto Novices’ Chase over two and a half miles. He won well on Saturday, but I’m surprised he won with the position he was in. He pulled a shoe off and he pulled the bulb of his heel off when he made a mistake half way down the back.
He got the trip well the other day and the trainer must have been running over the wrong trip! He surprised me Saturday as I thought the ground was too soft and it was too far, but he was brilliant.
Stage Star (Aintree Bowl)
He is going to run in the Bowl which is the three mile Grade One which we have won with the likes of Silviniaco Conti and Clan Des Obeaux.
He ran a super race in the Cotswold Chase in his first try over a trip further than three miles. He travelled and jumped well and Harry was always just hanging on to him a little bit.
In hindsight he was amazed how well he stayed on strongly. He could have probably strode on a little bit turning in. But as he had not been over that trip he quite rightly held on to him and got into a right old battle from the back of the last.
Going that gear slower really suited him. In those handicaps carrying 12st with those good handicappers behind you it means you can’t get a soft lead. He was in a great rhythm in the Cotswold Chase as he was in his comfort zone, he jumped fantastic and stayed on well up the hill.
There is no point being in the Gold Cup this year as you would leave any other race behind. We decided to miss Cheltenham as he is good fresh and we decided to go for the Bowl at Aintree.
He loves a left handed track and going up in trip has seen plenty of improvement in him. He is not unlike Conti and Clan.
Stay Away Fay (Randow Grand National)
To say this horse has been frustrating is to say the least. He won an Albert Bartlett two years ago then he started off jumping fences and he ran well over them first time out beating Grey Dawning down at Exeter. He then won the Grade Two at Sandown and he then ran well in the Cotswold Chase, but since then he hasn’t run one good race and I don’t really know why.
In the Brown Advisory last year he pulled a shoe off and he didn’t jump very well then he went to Ayr for the Scottish Grand National and he bled. We always thought he wanted his wind doing so we did his wind. He had a load of problems in the autumn, only minor one in trying to get him right.
He had a run over hurdles at Wincanton on Boxing Day and I thought he would run really well, but he didn’t as he turned down the straight and pulled up again. I can’t actually say there is a real reason for it except that he has been a bit hard to train with a few niggly problems, but nothing serious.
To qualify for Aintree, which is why these guys bought him, he has to run in one more chase before March 18th and at the moment we are going to go to the Ultima on the first day of Cheltenham as he has won around there.
He will have an away day gallop this week and then have plenty of schooling over fences then hopefully we can get him back to some sort of form. I always thought he would be a real Grand National horse as an Albert Bartlett winner that stays forever.
If it didn’t go right at Cheltenham we might have to leave him until next year as I’m not going to take him for the sake of it. If he ran really well in the Ultima it is a different ball game. He is looking good in his skin and we have done a few different things with him.
Threeunderthrufive (Randox Grand National)
He is going to go and run in the Grand National now. He carried 12st the other day and got beaten by a nose. That was a great Grand National trial.
We haven’t run him much this season as we want to keep him fresh. He could run really well as I’ve always thought he would be a Grand National horse one day.
We missed it last year, which was good. He has started jumping really well now. My only negative in my book, even though he has won at Cheltenham, is that some of his best form seems to be right handed.
I know Max (McNeill) is quite excited about running him in the Grand National and Harry Skelton is going to ride him, which is a provisional booking as Dan got nothing in there.
He looks really well in himself and he is probably in the best shape he has ever been. He has been fourth in the Scottish Grand National so stamina is not an issue. He is an exciting one to run in the Grand National.
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