/ Editor / 01 March 2010 / Leave a Comment

Mike Vince travelled to Ditcheat to talk with the master trainer ahead of his annual assault on the Cheltenham Festival

In a week when the news bulletins have been full of archive shots of the British task force going to the Falklands, Paul Nicholls has revealed his own task force with one simple mission - to conquer Cheltenham next month.

And has any trainer ever assembled a more formidable one to charge across the Mendips and Cotswolds and park in that most holy of holies - the Cheltenham winner's enclosure?

Last year it was only a neck that stopped all four of the 'crown jewels' heading to Ditcheat. This year they are all back, with more in hot pursuit.

Nicholls could not be happier with the King himself - Kauto Star ([1.85] to win the Gold Cup).

"He improved a lot, as we thought he would from the Betfair Chase at Haydock to the King George. Ruby felt he needed Haydock, Kauto was phenomenal at Kempton and I think that was as good a run as he has ever put up," he said.

"He looks fantastic and we are very, very happy with him. He goes really well when he is very, very fit and very, very fresh and he will be on March 19."

But he warns: "Anyone who writes Denman off does so at their peril. Since Newbury he has been working great and he will have three weeks of seriously hard graft now."

Dual Champion Chaser Master Minded ([1.84] for festival glory) comes in for special praise from his trainer: "I was very pleased with Newbury - we weren't sure and you never can be until they do it on the racecourse. I don't think he was at his best last spring despite winning at The Festival and Punchestown and I think he may be back now to where he was two years ago."

That's a warning for all his rivals including stablemate Twist Magic, but Nicholls adds: "Twist Magic (confirmed as the ride of 'Choc' Thornton) has improved all year and could be a big danger to him."

Nicholls also believes 'the one that got away' in 2009, namely the Smurfit Champion Hurdle, could be his this year.

"I do not think Celestial Halo ran as badly as it looked at Leopardstown last time, and I think he will be better on decent ground. We have got a chance, it is a wide open race and the better ground puts him right in contention," he said.

It will be a busy week for Team Ditcheat with every chance they will have runners in every race every day, with Nicholls very hopeful one other prize to elude him, the Bumper, could come his way via Newbury winner Al Ferof ([11.5]), the former Irish point to point winner.

But what about a dark horse that flies the Champion flag in one of the lower races?

"We've lots of big chances but I particularly like Massasoit in the four-mile National Hunt Chase (the first race on the second day). Our stable amateur Ryan Mahon will ride and the horse ran really well to finish third in a Sandown handicap last time. He will relish every yard of the four miles in the race Tricky Trickster won last year. I think he has a huge chance."

That's the longest race of the longest week of the jump year - but one that Nicholls can hardly wait to arrive.

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