Nicholls' Week Ahead: The Timeform Preview

The December Gold Cup is the big feature handicap on Saturday afternoon and Paul Nicholls has every chance of victory as he seeks his 150th winner at Cheltenham Racecourse...

Rolling Aces is the only one of the Nicholls four who were entered to be declared for the opening Novices' Hurdle at Taunton (12:50) on Thursday afternoon and it looks as if he has an excellent chance of getting the ball rolling.

An Irish points winner and currently entered in the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, Rolling Aces looked a useful prospect when winning on his hurdling debut at Wincanton last month and has 7 lb and upwards to spare over his rivals juged on that form, never mind the fact that he looks sure to improve.

Mr Hudson goes in the Novices' Handicap Chase an hour later. A fairly useful hurdler who won two of his four last season, Mr Hudson has undergone a breathing op and seems a likely type to take to fences, so if he can translate the form he showed over timber he should be thereabouts - He's Our Lad sets a surpassable standard.

Nicholls' final runner at Taunton is Doeslessthanme in the handicap chase at 14:50. He looks up against it on the Timeform race card, with the official assessor having taken a very different view of his Fontwell win two starts back compared to our handicapper, but he does have some scope to improve judged on the pick of his hurdling form and it will be only his third start for the stable (fell at the tenth at Hereford last time).

The stable's most high-profile runner on Thursday comes at Huntingdon, where The Nightingale takes his chance in the Grade 2 Peterborough Chase.

Henrietta Knight's Somersby currently heads the Timeform ratings, but The Nightingale is relatively lightly-raced and could be open to further improvement, having had just the six starts over fences so far. The Nightingale has been seen to best effect over two and a half miles in the past and there is every reason to believe he could pose the greatest threat to Somersby, especially if the ground turns softer.

Nicholls also runs an expensive recruit at Huntingdon on Thursday in the Novices' Hurdle at 15:00, in the shape of Italian Master. The winner of a maiden point in Ireland in March, he cost £240,000 at the Cheltenham Sales in April and has to be respected even though it's hard to weigh up his chance.

Paul will be writing a column for his runners at Cheltenham on both Friday and Saturday this week, but we'll pick out a few of the more interesting entries now.

Last season's Triumph Hurdle fourth, Sam Winner , looked set to win until falling at the last in a Novices' Chase at Exeter on his reappearance and bids to make amends in the opener at Cheltenham on Friday. Sam Winner jumped left at Exeter, so the return to an anti-clockwise track should suit and he's very much a chasing type in appearance. Champion Court has the best chasing form of the entries, but if Sam Winner does what's expected he's more than capable of progressing past him.

That'lldoboy has a solid chance of completing a hat-trick in the Conditional Jockeys' event at 13:10 at Prestbury Park, before Mon Parrain (13:45) goes in the feature race of the day, the handicap chase over an extended three miles.

Mon Parrain was last seen when underwhelming in last month's PP Gold Cup, but he looked to be a horse of huge potential last season and is well worth another chance. The winner of a three-mile handicap chase at Sandown on his British debut, Mon Parrain finishing second in the Topham Chase over two miles and five furlongs at Aintree on his only subsequent start in 2010/11, taking to the National fences better than could have been anticipated, travelling and jumping with great exuberance. Mon Parrain looked likely to win over a furlong out, but being up with the strong early pace for too long eventually took its toll and he weakened to finish behind course-specialist Always Waining. Mon Parrain has plenty of speed for a three-mile winner and has to be high on the shortlist for Friday.

Hinterland has a couple of entries on Saturday and will take the beating whether he turns up at Doncaster or Cheltenham, the form of his two wins the best on offer in the juvenile division so far.

Join Together also holds dual entries this weekend, but the Novices' Chase at Cheltenham (12:45) on Saturday could be his most likely destination. Join Together was the winner of a similar Cheltenham event at the Open Meeting last month, when defeating Tea For Three and Restless Harry, and those two have since franked the form. The greater the emphasis on stamina, the better he is likely to be, and should Champion Court take up his entry on Friday, then Join Together will be clear Timeform top-rated.

Rocky Creek is likely to be the stable's main hope in the Grade 2 Bristol Novices' Hurdle (13:55) over three miles at Cheltenham. A full brother to the promising but ill-fated Tell Massini, and the winner of a maiden point in Ireland, Rocky Creek has bags of potential judged on his promising second behind Allthekingshorses at Exeter on his hurdling debut and looks the standard setter for Saturday, acknowledging there are a host of other unexposed horses set to line up.

Paul Nicholls is chasing his 150th winner at Cheltenham this weekend, and if he hasn't done it before 14:30 on Saturday afternoon, then he looks to have a good chance in the feature Spinal Research The Atlantic 4 Gold Cup Handicap Chase, a full preview of which can be found HERE.

Nicholls runs two in the International Hurdle (15:05), headed by Brampour, who is starting to fulfil his early potential having won both starts this season including the Greatwood Handicap at Cheltenham last month. Harry Derham keeps the ride, as Paul explains, but Brampour is going to have to improve to mix it with the likes of Overturn and Grandouet.

The Knoxs is likely to round off Saturday afternoon for the champion trainer, back over timber in the Grade 2 Relkeel Hurdle (15:35). The Knoxs looked improved when landing a handicap chase in impressive fashion on his first start for Nicholls, having left Howard Johnson, but he will have his work cut out in graded company against the likes of Oscar Whisky.
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Timeform / 6 Dec 2011