Paul Nicholls Ante-Post Update: Gold Cup and Champion Chase hopefuls

A host of big names at Paul's Ditcheat yard are beginning preparations in earnest for two of the most valuable Cheltenham Festival races, so which horses are shaping up the best? Read Paul's verdict here

Obviously, we have some of our Gold Cup and Champion Chase hopefuls running this weekend and next - and you can read my day-of-race assessments on them here every Saturday morning at 8am.

So let's hope What A Friend furthers his Cheltenham claims. But I thought it would be useful to give you a brief update on my other probable runners in those races.

Kauto Star has been kept ticking over since Kempton, but he starts really strong work on Monday. He has been cantering every day, and is in tip-top form.

We will also start stoking work into Denman; he is in really good form and is exactly where we want him.

Neptune Collonges is over his scare and has started back in proper work after his brief spell walking.

For those of you who didn't read last week's column, he came back a little sore after winning at Cheltenham, and had a badly swollen off-fore joint on the Monday morning. But x-rays thankfully showed nothing untoward.

Pride Of Dulcote came back from Ireland and now goes to the Betfair Ascot Chase next Saturday. It's a valuable Grade 1 race in its own right, and hopefully it will provide a decent springboard to a crack at the Gold Cup.

And it will be nice to snaffle some Betfair loot before they give all their money away to Flat racing and the all-weather!!

Woolcombe Folly would have started an odds-on favourite for the Game Spirit but for his bad scope. However, with so much rain about there may even have been a possibility of me withdrawing him because of the ground anyway.

But my number one Champion Chase hope is Master Minded and he is just ticking over at the moment.

Incidentally, I keep reading that Master Minded is nowhere near as good as he was despite winning three from three this season, including two Grade 1s.

By that, they mean not as good as he was in that 2008 Champion Chase win.

He was undoubtedly brilliant that day but it was probably overhyped, and it is interesting to hear that the 174 Timeform had him running to at Ascot last time was the highest basic rating he's achieved with them since the 2008 Champion Chase.

Something to ponder on perhaps.

Tataniano pulled muscles behind when schooling recently so he has had an easy week. It is nothing major but it means that we couldn't do what we wanted with him, so it clearly isn't the ideal preparation for Cheltenham.

But the Festival is still the idea and we also have Aintree, Punchestown, and Sandown as late season options for him.

Paul Nicholls / 11 Feb 2011

Paul Nicholls Ante-Post Update: Gold Cup and Champion Chase hopefuls

Ante-Post Plans / Paul Nicholls / 11 February 2011 / 1

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Master Minded could be returning to his finest form according to Timeform's most recent rating

"It is interesting to hear that the 174 Timeform had Master Minded running to at Ascot last time was the highest basic rating he's achieved with them since the 2008 Champion Chase."