Paul Nicholls' Week Ahead: The Timeform Preview

A quiet week for team Nicholls with the majority of thoughts naturally geared towards next Tuesday and the ensuing three days. That said, a two-day meeting at Wincanton offers some of the lower-tier prospects at Ditcheat the chance of glory before Cheltenham gets under way.

The yard holds chances on Thursday afternoon with Robin Will (14:30), Earth Planet (15:00) and Water Garden (16:40). The first-named contests a competitive-looking two-mile hurdle and will need to find the improvement he's probably open to now switched to handicaps. He caught the eye on his first three starts over hurdles without showing much in form terms before putting paid to a lenient handicap mark by finishing much closer in the novice won by Ballabriggs at this track in January. That improved display came over two and three quarter miles, but he drops right back to the minimum trip now, something that can't be guaranteed to suit, a half-brother to the high-class staying chaser My Will after all. Elsewhere in the race Midnight Opera is liable to be popular as a last-time winner, but that came nearly four months ago and the handicapper hasn't let him in lightly. Rayon Vert has the look of a likely improver, whilst No To Trident looks extremely well handicapped judged on the form he was in the process of showing at Stratford on his return to hurdles.

Earth Planet gets another chance to break his duck over fences in the novice which follows. He's become one of the more frustrating horses housed at Ditcheat, his quirky nature preventing him from displaying all the ability he possesses, as was the case when third to Fin Vin de Leu at Taunton seven days ago. All three of his rivals hold claims, with Silver Kate looking the likeliest, and there's unlikely to be much value in backing Earth Planet to finally get off the mark.

Later in the afternoon Water Garden contests his third race over hurdles in an ordinary two-mile maiden. He's looked capable of better than he's shown on both starts to date, though there must be a chance that it won't be until getting his place in handicaps that his form really takes off.

Nicholls also sends three to the local track on Friday, with Violin Davis (14:00) in the opening mares hurdle, Bold Addition contesting the novice at 15:45 and Suspect (17:30) running in the concluding bumper.

Violin Davis got off the mark at the third attempt in bumpers but has not yet managed to do so in the same number of outings over hurdles, finishing runner-up the last twice. She's capable of picking up a weak race for mares, but the suspicion is that this may not prove to be weak enough with Chilli Rose bringing superior form to the table and Kells Belle offering more in the way of potential.

The novice which sees Bold Addition have his sixth start over hurdles arguably offers him his best chance yet of winning a race, finding handicaps all a bit much in three runs this season, running creditably to finish fourth on the first two occasions and racing too freely last time. It's to be hoped he proves rather more settled this time, particularly over this longer trip, but he's sure to be involved in the finish if he is. Thanks For Coming is the obvious danger, though he himself has to simmer down somewhat judging by two efforts over hurdles to date.

Suspect is a strong gelding with a good pedigree, so it was no surprise to see him the subject of support ahead of his debut at Newbury in December, but he failed to show anything like what was anticipated, beaten a long way. There must have been a reason for that and he's surely capable of a whole lot better.

Just the one Nicholls-trained runner makes the journey to Sandown on Friday afternoon, with the promising Rebel Rebellion engaged in the novice hurdle which wraps up proceedings at 17:15. A big, strong gelding, he must have endured a problem on his hurdling debut at Ascot in November as he came in for a breathing operation before returning with victory at Kempton last month, an effort much more in line with his useful bumper form. It won't be until he gets his chance over fences that he comes into his own, but that doesn't stop him from being the form pick here, even allowing for the fact that Alan King's French import Taoiri is difficult to assess with any degree of confidence.

Harry Bowles / 10 Mar 2011