Timeform Betfair Racing Club: The latest stable news

Two promising four-year-olds reside at the Ditcheat stable of Paul Nicholls - but what does our star man have in plan for Indian Daudaie and Plenty Pocket? Read on.

Plenty Pocket clearly didn't come up to expectations last season, finishing tailed off on his hurdling debut at Ascot and then finishing well beaten in a charity race at the Grand National meeting at Aintree in April. So we will give him one or two runs this season, and see where we stand.

But I can't believe he is as poor as he looked in those two starts - sometimes these French horses, such as Twist Magic, need a season to acclimatise and get themselves straight - and we gave him a breathing operation two weeks ago . Horses need 28 days recuperation after the operation so we will get started with him in mid August. But he has done really well during the summer and I will be looking at starting him off in a novice hurdle in October.


Indian Daudaie may not have won last season but he ran well on each occasion, finishing fourth in the Conditional Jockeys' race at the Cheltenham Festival, and he was still in with a chance when falling two out at Aintree. He has strengthened up enormously over the summer and we have two options with him.

We could send him novice chasing straight away but I think he may have a handicap hurdle in him and I possibly could aim him at the valuable fixed brush hurdle at Haydock on Betfair Chase day in November. Incidentally, talking of the Betfair Chase, I have a number of possibles for the race and they include Poquelin, who I am aiming at the Charlie Hall first, and What A Friend. And maybe one or two others, too.

Paul Nicholls / 4 Aug 2011