NICHOLLS’ TARGETS
En Famille Gregory K Merchant Of Venice Dubai Elegance Ginger Fox Split Down South Air Of York Que Quieres (trb)
King Of Arms Lady Sansa Rangali Island Fen Breeze (nb) Asdaa Champion Brogie Es Que Magic Que Quieres
TOP JOCKEYS (with mounts) Adam Kirby 89 winners, (13.4% strike rate), -£2.00, Luke Morris 81, (8.5%), -£3.00, Robert Havlin 60, (14.3%), -£101.63, David Probert 50, (9.0%), -£132.25.
Class 4 1m
(6 runners)
£6,469
IT will be a tall order for Paul Nicholls to retain his champion trainer title this season, but the Ditcheat handler is casting his net the length and breadth of the country in search of winners this weekend.
While Nicky Henderson is currently more than £255,000 clear of his regular sparring partner, and despite being short of headline acts this season – notably the sidelined Topofthegame, winner of last year’s RSA Chase – the Somerset maestro has proved year-on-year he can turn the tables.
Refreshed holiday in from a recent Barbados, an 7f (10 runners) upbeat Nicholls said: “We are going to be flat out for the rest of the season, following a typically slow start to the year after the horses had their flu jabs in January.”
The 11-times champion trainer, recently honoured with an OBE, showed his team are now firing after a double at Plumpton on Monday.
“We are ready to press on and we are likely to have runners every day this week before a hectic weekend,” he said.
“We have multiple entries at Musselburgh over the weekend, in addition to Sandown on Saturday and Taunton on Sunday. Horses who could make the trip to £3,752
Scotland, in search of better ground, include Southfield Stone in the novice chase, and Scaramanga or Miranda in the Scottish Champion Hurdle.
“Those heading to Sandown include Grand Sancy in the Scilly Isles Chase, Dan McGrue in the valuable handicap hurdle and Dolos who runs in the race (888Sport Bet Chase) he won 12 months ago.”
Next month Nicholls takes the wraps off Cyrname, the highest-rated jump horse in training, when he hopes to make it successive victories the Betfair Chase at Ascot.
The gelding was beaten by stablemate Clan Des Obeaux in last month’s King George VI Chase at Kempton.