"163", "name" => "Paul Nicholls", "category" => "Weekend Runners", "path" => "/var/www/vhosts/betting.betfair.com/httpdocs/horse-racing/paul-nicholls/", "url" => "https://betting.betfair.com/horse-racing/paul-nicholls/", "title" => "Paul Nicholls' Weekend Runners: The Timeform preview. : Weekend Runners : Paul Nicholls", "desc" => "Plenty of meetings this weekend and, fortunately, there don't appear to be any weather scares with them - other than the high winds which claimed Catterick's Friday card! Therefore, it is somewhat surprising to see the powerful Paul Nicholls yard saddling just three runners on British soil, with attentions instead turned to Leopardstown's valuable card on Sunday....", "keywords" => "", "robots" => "index,follow" ); require_once '/var/www/vhosts/betting.betfair.com/httpdocs/horse-racing/paul-nicholls//MobileDetect.php'; $mob = new MobileDetect; if ($mob->isMobile()) { ?>

Paul Nicholls' Weekend Runners: The Timeform preview.

View market

Plenty of meetings this weekend and, fortunately, there don't appear to be any weather scares with them - other than the high winds which claimed Catterick's Friday card! Therefore, it is somewhat surprising to see the powerful Paul Nicholls yard saddling just three runners on British soil, with attentions instead turned to Leopardstown's valuable card on Sunday.

Paul's trips across the Irish Sea this term have so far yielded two wins from just three runners - thanks to the exploits of Kauto Star and The Nightingale at Down Royal in November - and he'll be hoping that both Indian Daudaie and Pride of Dulcote can add to that impressive strike rate at Leopardstown on Sunday. Pride of Dulcote will be bidding to emulate the 2009 win by stable-companion Neptune Collonges in the Hennessy Gold Cup at 15.45, where he'll face nine rivals in a competitive renewal of this Grade 1. Pride of Dulcote is by far the least experienced chaser in the line-up, having been restricted to just two outings over fences so far, whilst his lofty position in the betting could also be crabbed as the bare form of his reappearance victory over Punchestowns in a graduation chase at Newbury isn't the easiest to assess by any means. Indeed, he has a bit to find on Timeform ratings, but it must be stressed that he is still open to improvement given his unbeaten start to chasing, whilst he also looked a high-class prospect towards the end of his hurdling days. Of greater concern, however, is that aforementioned lack of experience, with both of his wins having come in small-field events which bear little relation to what he'll face on Sunday. As a result, he doesn't appeal as particularly good value at current odds.

Nick Scholfield retains the ride on Pride of Dulcote, but record-breaking champion jockey Tony McCoy gets the leg-up in the opener at 13.05 on Indian Daudaie, who is owned by the Timeform Betfair Racing Club in partnership with Clive Smith. This ex-French gelding made his debut for present connections last weekend, when finishing a highly satisfactory third to Local Hero in a Grade 2 at Cheltenham. That form puts him ahead of his Irish counterparts, at least on Timeform ratings, so it is to be hoped he can provide his new yard with yet another Grade 1 success. The presence of McCoy in the saddle is, of course, always an asset, but he's proved particularly potent when teaming up with the champion trainer this term, operating at a hugely impressive 39% strike rate on Nicholls-trained runners!

Meanwhile, in the continued absence of Messrs Walsh and Fehily, the rides at Sandown are shared around between Paul's team of understudies. Scholfield gets the nod on Rebel du Maquis in a competitive renewal of the Scilly Isles Novices' Chase at 14.25. The six-year-old gelding lost his unbeaten record over British fences when third behind Reve de Sivola (in opposition again at Sandown) at Cheltenham in December, but he shaped better than the result suggests that day after being sent for home much too far out, so it's not out of the question he'll regain the progressive thread.

Novice hurdler Prince Tom is next up in the Grade 3 Heroes Handicap Hurdle at 15.00 and he's another gelding who may yet go on to better things, having finally got off the mark in a staying handicap at Taunton when last seen in November. A 13 lb rise for that success actually doesn't look excessive, particularly as it will be alleviated by Ian Popham's 5 lb claim at Sandown, but it must be stressed that this is an extremely hot race which will take plenty of winning.

Therefore, it could be argued that Paul's best chance of saddling a winner at Sandown comes with Take The Breeze in the Masters Handicap Chase at 15.35. Although the reliable grey has to concede plenty of weight to all ten of his rivals, this doesn't look a particularly strong race for the grade and he actually holds a leading chance, with the promising amateur Ryan Mahon taking off a valuable 5 lb. Indeed, given that we fancied Take The Breeze for last weekend's abandoned Great Yorkshire Chase at Doncaster, then it is clearly worth following him in this weaker affair provided that the ground doesn't become significantly more testing than predicted.

Want to own a share in Indian Daudaie? Just bet and you're in with a chance, find out more by clicking here.

Timeform / 4 Feb 2011

Paul Nicholls' Weekend Runners: The Timeform preview.

Weekend Runners RSS / / 04 February 2011 / 1

" class="free_bet_btn" rel="external" onclick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/G4/inline-freebet');" target="_blank">
A certain Champion Jockey has been booked to ride Indian Daudaie at Leopardstown on Sunday

A certain Champion Jockey has been booked to ride Indian Daudaie at Leopardstown on Sunday

"It could be argued that Paul's best chance of saddling a winner at Sandown comes with Take The Breeze"

Plenty of meetings this weekend and, fortunately, there don't appear to be any weather scares with them - other than the high winds which claimed Catterick's Friday card! Therefore, it is somewhat surprising to see the powerful Paul Nicholls yard saddling just three runners on British soil, with attentions instead turned to Leopardstown's valuable card on Sunday.

Paul's trips across the Irish Sea this term have so far yielded two wins from just three runners - thanks to the exploits of Kauto Star and The Nightingale at Down Royal in November - and he'll be hoping that both Indian Daudaie and Pride of Dulcote can add to that impressive strike rate at Leopardstown on Sunday. Pride of Dulcote will be bidding to emulate the 2009 win by stable-companion Neptune Collonges in the Hennessy Gold Cup at 15.45, where he'll face nine rivals in a competitive renewal of this Grade 1. Pride of Dulcote is by far the least experienced chaser in the line-up, having been restricted to just two outings over fences so far, whilst his lofty position in the betting could also be crabbed as the bare form of his reappearance victory over Punchestowns in a graduation chase at Newbury isn't the easiest to assess by any means. Indeed, he has a bit to find on Timeform ratings, but it must be stressed that he is still open to improvement given his unbeaten start to chasing, whilst he also looked a high-class prospect towards the end of his hurdling days. Of greater concern, however, is that aforementioned lack of experience, with both of his wins having come in small-field events which bear little relation to what he'll face on Sunday. As a result, he doesn't appeal as particularly good value at current odds.

Nick Scholfield retains the ride on Pride of Dulcote, but record-breaking champion jockey Tony McCoy gets the leg-up in the opener at 13.05 on Indian Daudaie, who is owned by the Timeform Betfair Racing Club in partnership with Clive Smith. This ex-French gelding made his debut for present connections last weekend, when finishing a highly satisfactory third to Local Hero in a Grade 2 at Cheltenham. That form puts him ahead of his Irish counterparts, at least on Timeform ratings, so it is to be hoped he can provide his new yard with yet another Grade 1 success. The presence of McCoy in the saddle is, of course, always an asset, but he's proved particularly potent when teaming up with the champion trainer this term, operating at a hugely impressive 39% strike rate on Nicholls-trained runners!

Meanwhile, in the continued absence of Messrs Walsh and Fehily, the rides at Sandown are shared around between Paul's team of understudies. Scholfield gets the nod on Rebel du Maquis in a competitive renewal of the Scilly Isles Novices' Chase at 14.25. The six-year-old gelding lost his unbeaten record over British fences when third behind Reve de Sivola (in opposition again at Sandown) at Cheltenham in December, but he shaped better than the result suggests that day after being sent for home much too far out, so it's not out of the question he'll regain the progressive thread.

Novice hurdler Prince Tom is next up in the Grade 3 Heroes Handicap Hurdle at 15.00 and he's another gelding who may yet go on to better things, having finally got off the mark in a staying handicap at Taunton when last seen in November. A 13 lb rise for that success actually doesn't look excessive, particularly as it will be alleviated by Ian Popham's 5 lb claim at Sandown, but it must be stressed that this is an extremely hot race which will take plenty of winning.

Therefore, it could be argued that Paul's best chance of saddling a winner at Sandown comes with Take The Breeze in the Masters Handicap Chase at 15.35. Although the reliable grey has to concede plenty of weight to all ten of his rivals, this doesn't look a particularly strong race for the grade and he actually holds a leading chance, with the promising amateur Ryan Mahon taking off a valuable 5 lb. Indeed, given that we fancied Take The Breeze for last weekend's abandoned Great Yorkshire Chase at Doncaster, then it is clearly worth following him in this weaker affair provided that the ground doesn't become significantly more testing than predicted.

Want to own a share in Indian Daudaie? Just bet and you're in with a chance, find out more by clicking here.

'.$sign_up['title'].'

'; } } ?>

(1)

  1. paul | 04 February 2011

    is this the same jockey who got neptune tailed off on its seasonal debut when fancied-do me a favour !