Paul Nicholls' Week Ahead: The Timeform Preview

Another week, another clutch of runners for the Ditcheat yard. We take a look at those who are liable to prove more interesting than others, starting off at Taunton on Tuesday afternoon.

As ever, Taunton looks set to prove a happy hunting ground on Tuesday afternoon, with Qozak, Dark Lover, Organisateur and Just Amazing all looking to hold stand-out opportunities. The first-named boasts a 100% record at this track, and if he's proved something of a damp squib elsewhere, he's always impressed when getting a chance around here, most recently when beating Keki Buku ten lengths earlier in the month. A replica of that effort will more than likely be enough with Shoreacres, his only conceivable danger, coming back from a year on the sidelines.

Like Qozak, Dark Lover also has a penalty to concede in the novice hurdle which follows. He might have finished runner-up on all three starts in bumpers but in doing so he showed a relatively high level of form and made a good impression on his hurdling debut over this course and distance. There looks to be little depth to the opposition and he's fully expected to follow up.

James Cowley takes his first ride under Rules on the very smart Organisateur in the seventeen-furlong handicap hurdle. He'll be giving away upwards of 21 lb all round to his seven rivals before Cowley's 10 lb claim comes into consideration, so it's clear to see how crucial he could be to the horse's chances. In Ciceron and Iolith, they are coming up against a pair of hurdlers on the up, but by the same token Organisateur has a tremendous record at this track and will be better off back at this trip than when failing to cope in the Cleeve Hurdle last time.

Just Amazing made a taking start to life in hunters at Sandown on Friday, looking the sort who can go to a high level, something he'll be bidding to do at Cheltenham. The need to qualify for the 'big one' there sees him turned out again just four days on, and for all he was impressive at Sandown, he must have taken plenty out of himself in sustaining a sound gallop from the outset, so whilst it would be no surprise to see him win again, there must also be a chance that he won't be in quite the same form.

It appears that Font's days at Ditcheat are numbered given he's been dropped into a seller at Ludlow on Tuesday. Things have gone wrong over fences this season, but he looks to hold an obvious chance against just three opponents on his return to hurdles, particularly with Diktalina's ungenuine nature becoming more established by the run.

Later on the same card Rock of Deauville is fast-tracked into handicap company in the 15:50. He arguably still has his stamina to prove, failing to
see things out as well as looked likely at Taunton last time, but he'll be well suited by the sharp test the track makes for and is surely open to more improvement than those he's coming up against. He holds another entry in a juvenile at Warwick as well as in another handicap at Sandown on Friday, where he's joined by Teshali. Lightly-raced like Rock of Deauville, Teshali hasn't been seeing his races out to date and the doubts are beginning to stack up, especially as the fitting of a tongue strap had no beneficial effect on his handicap debut last time.

The yard sends out an interesting newcomer in the concluding three-mile maiden hurdle at Ludlow in the shape of Hawkes Point. He was the easy winner of an Irish point last spring and is a half-brother to Alfie Sherrin, who proved talented but difficult to train in his time with Nicholls. Hawkes Point faces no easy introduction, with Cantlow and, more so, Swingkeel, having shaped with abundant promise on recent hurdling debuts.

The bulk of attention in the two-mile novice chase at Huntingdon on Wednesday is likely to be centred around Starluck. Alan Fleming's high-class hurdler makes a belated switch to fences with the Arkle the reported target if all goes well. One of those he could be coming up against is American Trilogy, who will be looking to supplement his Kempton success. After a terrible start to his chasing career at Plumpton, it was good to see him getting his act together last time, though the form is still some way removed of what he was capable of as a hurdler, and it remains to be
seen if he ever matches the two together. He's also engaged in a two-mile novice at Sandown on Friday.

King of The Night came back from a ten-week break to win at Doncaster last month, in the process putting his Cheltenham blip firmly behind him. It
could be that he needs to be fresh to be seen at his best, but as things stand he makes slightly more appeal for the Sidney Banks novice hurdle than stablemate Mr Hudson. The latter made a winning start over hurdles at Exeter but looked in need of a stiffer stamina test when third there on New Year's Day, and it seems unlikely that two and a half miles around Huntingdon will prove sufficient for him, every inch a three-mile chaser of the future.

It's surely just a matter of time before Merehead gets his name on the scoresheet. He's shaped well despite finding at least one too good in a brace of bumpers and novice hurdles so far. The entry in the novice suggests he's being held back from handicaps unlike many from the yard who are fast-tracked down that route, That'lldoboy another example, and he could get a second chance from a mark of 109 if taking up his engagement in the two and a half mile handicap later on the card. He definitely remains open to improvement, better than the result when fourth under an inexperienced rider at Taunton last time, and is a handicapper to follow for the time being.

Richard Rowe has managed to lure Tatenen back from the doldrums this season, and now Paul Nicholls gets the opportunity to see what he can do with the ex Rowe-trained Marty's Mission. A fairly useful novice chaser last season, he's dropped in the weights since tackling handicaps and is potentially very well treated, so is sure to be of strong interest when making his debut for the yard.

After a three-month absence during which time he'd undergone a breathing operation it was most encouraging to see Rebel Rebellion putting his listless hurdling debut firmly behind him to win a novice at Kempton earlier in the month. Everything about him points towards chasing next season, all strength and substance, but there's scope for further improvement over hurdles before that , though it's somewhat surprising to see that his entry at Warwick on Friday is over a shorter trip than for his win at Kempton.

Harry Bowles / 22 Feb 2011