Nicholls' Week Ahead: The Timeform Preview

Latest News / Timeform / 25 January 2012 / Leave a Comment

This week's action culminates with Cheltenham Festival Trials day

"That’lldoboy still looks very well treated off a mark of 127 and will hold outstanding claims at the weights if taking up his engagement."

There's plenty of racing to look forward to in the coming week, the highlight being Trials day at Cheltenham on Saturday, and Paul is sure to be have numerous runners putting their Festival credentials to the test there...

Thursday promises to be a quiet day with just three horses holding entries, all at Warwick. Pacha du Polder (c143) and Picture This (c144) featuring among the entries for the two-and-a-half-mile novice chase on the card, and both have leading form claims. The former does have to bounce back from a below-par effort in a Grade 2 at Ascot last time, while the latter will need to step up plenty on what he did when winning a match at Folkestone on his belated return earlier in the month, though he has old form to suggest he's capable of doing that. The other entry from the yard at Warwick is an unraced bumper horse called Whisky Yankee, who catches the eye on pedigree as a son of Presenting out of a half-sister to Denman.

Of the yard's five potential runners at Fontwell on Friday, one that could be interesting is Oscarslad (h75+), who is entered in the two-and-three-quarter-mile handicap hurdle. He's plainly not one of the yard's stars, but an opening BHA rating of 98 reflects as much and it's worth noting that he probably raced closer than ideal to the unfavoured inside on his third outing at the same track recently. A couple of others entered at Fontwell include Sir du Bearn (c124) and The Reformer (h129), the latter arguably the more interesting of the pair given the near-useful level he reached over timber.

At Huntingdon on the same day, both Poungach (h154) and Oscargo (h140) hold entries in the three-and-a-quarter-mile Pertemps Qualifier, with the former appealing as the one with less improvement to find to defy his current handicap mark. Picture This also features among the entries for the two-and-a-half-mile novice chase at Huntingdon, as does stablemate Like Minded (h134), who has long since appealed as the type to make a very useful chaser despite a career that has been stalled by injury on several occasions.

The main interest on Saturday is clearly Festival Trials day at Cheltenham and the yard is sure to be well-represented with entries in all the races on the card. Hinterland (h138) and Pearl Swan (h118p) are both in the Grade 2 Triumph Hurdle Trial, and while the latter looked a potentially useful juvenile when making a winning debut at Taunton last week, the former has much the stronger form claims, though he does have a bit to find with Baby Mix on their running at the track in December.

The yard also has two horses entered in the 21-furlong Timeform Novices' Handicap Chase in Criqtonic (c119+) and That'lldoboy (c138). Criqtonic has a stiff enough BHA mark on the face of things and will have to improve plenty on the form he showed at Plumpton on his recent British debut, for all he wasn't knocked about that day, but That'lldoboy still looks very well treated off a mark of 127 and will hold outstanding claims at the weights if taking up his engagement.

There are three Ditcheat inmates in the Grade 3 handicap chase over the same course and distance, namely Poquelin (c163), Woolcombe Folly (c159) and Aerial (c147+). None of them has a particularly obvious chance in terms of handicapping, though Aerial does have some scope for finding the improvement needed to defy a stiffish mark after just four outings for the yard.

Paul will do well to make it three successive wins in the Argento Chase given the apparent quality of this year's renewal. That said, Tidal Bay (c160§) certainly has the ability to figure if he consents to put his best foot forward, while The Minack (c156p) is a genuinely progressive sort who certainly looks up to winning more good races over fences.

Polisky (h130) and Rocky Creek (h128p) hold entries in the two-and-a-half mile Grade 2 novices hurdle, and both figure towards the top of the field so far as Timeform ratings are concerned. Polisky has a solid course-and-distance third behind Fingal Bay to his name, though he did run poorly last time, while Rocky Creek looked another good prospect when runner-up on his debut at Exeter early in November.

The Cleeve Hurdle is all about Big Buck's (c176+) who is impossible to oppose in his bid to make it 15 wins on the spin. Five Dream (h143) has picked up some good prize money in finishing second to Big Buck's on his last two starts and he'll have sound claims of doing so again, for all there are a handful of others in the line-up with better form.

Cheltenham's fixture comes to a close with a 17-furlong handicap in which Paul has Edgardo Sol (h139) and Hinterland entered. Edgardo Sol shaped well when third to Bally Legend over course and distance on his most recent start and has obvious claims despite his mark now being 6 lb higher, while Hinterland would be a fascinating runner if taking up this engagement as opposed to the Triumph trial, given that a mark of 141 is by no means ridiculous and he is much less exposed than most in this field.

Saturday's other major NH fixture is at Doncaster, where the main event is the three-mile Sky Bet Chase. Aiteen Thirtythree (c151) and Aerial both hold entries in that race, and in terms of handicapping it is the former that makes marginally more appeal, though he will have to step up appreciably on his run in the Hennessy last time, and there are likely to be a few in the race with more obvious claims at the weights.

Also at Doncaster, Ted Spread (h118p) is entered in the 19-furlong handicap hurdle. An opening mark of 120 is no more than fair on his bare hurdles form, but the step up in trip promises to suit and there's certainly mileage in that mark judged on the smart level he reached on the Flat for Mark Tompkins. Others worth noting at Doncaster include Rolling Aces (123p) and Rocky Creek in the River Don Novices' Hurdle, as well as Woolcombe Folly and Takeroc (c147) in the two-mile handicap chase, the last-named still appealing as fairly treated off his current mark.