Paul Nicholls: Let's get that first winner on the board

On the eve of the biggest event of the racing year, Paul explains why he just wants to get his first winner on the board and why trainers aren't always right.

We go into the Festival in good form - we had six winners on Friday and Saturday - but getting winners at Cheltenham is clearly a different ball game altogether.

I see that I'm vying for favouritism with Nicky to be top trainer and, yes, we both have strong hands. But, like I always say, let's just get a winner on the board and anything else is a bonus.

I am traditionally a slow starter at the Festival, and I run just five on Tuesday. But hindsight is a wonderful thing and I wish I had six. I refer of course to Mon Parrain; he would have been some bet in the Stewart Family Spinal Research Handicap Chase. But I didn't enter him as I didn't think he would be anywhere near ready. His win on Saturday astounded me as he had only been in work 58 days, and that after getting a injury in the autumn. I thought Saturday would put him spot on for a handicap at Aintree.

To put that into some context, I normally want to give a horse 12 weeks of work before they are ready to run. So his performance really did shock me. The race may have taken little winning in the end, but he jumped brilliantly and you'd have to think he may be a Grade 1 or 2 horse after that.

I think he went into the race handicapped on what he had done, but he has clearly improved; he has been running in deep going in France, so perhaps the better ground at Sandown brought about the improvement.

I suspect the 3m handicap at Aintree we had earmarked for him may now be out of the equation, though we will see what the handicapper does, and he is in the Topham, too.

But I think our hand will be forced and we will run him in the Martell Cup.

For those punters who think trainers always know, think again!

Paul Nicholls / 14 Mar 2011