Nicholls quietly confident about Bravemansgame

CHAMPION trainer Paul Nicholls has still to be convinced that the stamina-sapping Cheltenham Gold Cup will be the right ultimate target this season for big hope Bravemansgame.

The gelding, who won the Grade One Kauto Star Novices’ Chase at Kempton’s Christmas meeting last season, was pulled out of the Cheltenham Festival because of testing ground and then ran below par at Aintree. However,

Bravemansgame is being prepared for a shot at the King George VI Chase back at Kempton on Boxing Day. He could make a comeback at Newton Abbot next month in the same Intermediate Chase in which he made his chasing debut last year.

Nicholls said: ‘The King George is his main aim. He needs to improve on what he has done but he has potential.

‘If it was soft ground at Newton Abbot he has that option of going there as a stepping stone to the 1965 Chase at Ascot (on November 19). Otherwise it will be Ascot and Kempton.

‘He is not short of speed — he is not in the Denman mould. I am not totally convinced about the Gold Cup trip but he could prove me wrong.

‘I am still learning about him. ‘The wheels fell off a bit in the Spring but we have re-cauterised his palate which will probably helped him. After Christmas we will re-group and see where we go.’ Nicholls, who won his 13th title in the Spring, outlined plans for his 160-horse string at the owners’ day at his Somerset base yesterday.

Two of his previous winners — Frodon (2020) and Clan Des Obeaux (2018 and 2019) — are also King George-bound while Monmiral heads the novice chase team. Topofthegame, who has not run since the Spring of 2019 when he won the RSA Chase at the Festival because of leg problems, has the Grand National in his sights.

But there is an emphasis on youth — almost a quarter of the stable are unraced stock eligible to run in National Hunt Flat races.