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Paul Nicholls: The verdict on my Exeter and Sandown runners

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Paul sends out three runners ahead of the big action on Saturday. Read his exclusive views on Scary Canary, Jump City and Royal Charm here.

15:50, Exeter
Scary Canary
I'll be honest and say perhaps he is not the best bred bumper horse we have ever had in the yard. But he is a half-brother to a couple of 2m hurdles winner and has plenty of pace in his pedigree, being by 6/7f winning sire Resplendent Cee out of a 6f winner. So this 1m5f race should be a fair starting point, and he has been going well enough, though he is a big, backward sort. As ever, the usual rules apply to my bumper newcomers - namely, he isn't fully wound up - but this may not be the strongest of bumpers.

13:55, Sandown
Jump City
Middle distance winner in France but he had a touch of leg trouble after joining us, so he only had the one run last season. But certainly ran a race full of promise at Wincanton and at one point it looked as though he would beat the 1-4 favourite Smad Place. He returned at Exeter earlier in the month as an odds-on favourite in his own right and won impressively by 4½ lengths, and the runner-up Hayjack franked the form when winning at Uttoxeter recently. There is plenty more to come from him and the step up in trip will suit here; his Flat form suggests it and Ruby had his work cut out to pull him up at Exeter. This track should suit and I think he will go well despite the likes of Fingal Bay and Sizing Symphony being obvious and considerable opponents in a very hot race indeed.

14:30, Sandown
Royal Charm
I have targeted him at this race for some while. A very smart hurdler, a few people got carried away with his chasing debut at Exeter (a 22 length defeat of Carrickboy over 2m2f) last season and started talking of him of an Arkle possible. He was never going to be a two miler over fences but I can see why he excited them. But after a narrow win over the same course and distance the following month, we could never get him right and when I got him back on the track at Aintree in April, he didn't fire. But this is a good horse and the more it rains the better for him. He faces a very stiff task at these weights but I think a fair bit of him and the step up in trip will suit. Oh, and he has had a wind operation, too.

Paul Nicholls / 2 Dec 2011

Paul Nicholls: The verdict on my Exeter and Sandown runners

Weekend Runners RSS / / 02 December 2011 /

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Paul pictured at Exeter earlier this year

Paul pictured at Exeter earlier this year

"I have targeted Royal Charm at this race for some while."

Paul sends out three runners ahead of the big action on Saturday. Read his exclusive views on Scary Canary, Jump City and Royal Charm here.

15:50, Exeter
Scary Canary
I'll be honest and say perhaps he is not the best bred bumper horse we have ever had in the yard. But he is a half-brother to a couple of 2m hurdles winner and has plenty of pace in his pedigree, being by 6/7f winning sire Resplendent Cee out of a 6f winner. So this 1m5f race should be a fair starting point, and he has been going well enough, though he is a big, backward sort. As ever, the usual rules apply to my bumper newcomers - namely, he isn't fully wound up - but this may not be the strongest of bumpers.

13:55, Sandown
Jump City
Middle distance winner in France but he had a touch of leg trouble after joining us, so he only had the one run last season. But certainly ran a race full of promise at Wincanton and at one point it looked as though he would beat the 1-4 favourite Smad Place. He returned at Exeter earlier in the month as an odds-on favourite in his own right and won impressively by 4½ lengths, and the runner-up Hayjack franked the form when winning at Uttoxeter recently. There is plenty more to come from him and the step up in trip will suit here; his Flat form suggests it and Ruby had his work cut out to pull him up at Exeter. This track should suit and I think he will go well despite the likes of Fingal Bay and Sizing Symphony being obvious and considerable opponents in a very hot race indeed.

14:30, Sandown
Royal Charm
I have targeted him at this race for some while. A very smart hurdler, a few people got carried away with his chasing debut at Exeter (a 22 length defeat of Carrickboy over 2m2f) last season and started talking of him of an Arkle possible. He was never going to be a two miler over fences but I can see why he excited them. But after a narrow win over the same course and distance the following month, we could never get him right and when I got him back on the track at Aintree in April, he didn't fire. But this is a good horse and the more it rains the better for him. He faces a very stiff task at these weights but I think a fair bit of him and the step up in trip will suit. Oh, and he has had a wind operation, too.

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