Paul Nicholls' Weekend Runners: The Timeform Preview

What a fantastic week for trainer Paul Nicholls after the outstanding performances of Denman, Kauto and, not forgetting, What A Friend in the Gold Cup, adding to the victories of Al Ferof, Big Buck's and Zarkandar...

It didn't take the trainer long to get into the Festival swing with the admirable Al Ferof responding significantly to Ruby Walsh's urgings in the very first race, the Supreme Novices' Hurdle, and seeing those three stable stalwarts run such gallant races in the final day showpiece, would have surely brought just as much pleasure.

With the highs of training Festivals winners very fresh in the memory, business continues as usual at the weekend with the yard sending out a handful of runners spread between Uttoxeter on Saturday and Newton Abbott on Sunday.

It's Midlands Grand National day at Uttoxeter, where Red Harbour (14.25) is set to take his chance in what looks a reasonably competitive handicap hurdle. Very much in need of the run when well behind Grands Crus at Haydock in December, Red Harbour showed enough encouragement when sixth last time to warrant respect in a race of this nature in which the step back up in distance is expected to suit. The Festival's leading jockey Ruby Walsh takes over from amateur riders and Timeform ratings suggest he has a great chance of riding another winner on a horse who has handled soft ground (the conditions he's likely to face here) well in the past. Basford Bob is open to improvement and appears the biggest danger.

In the same colours, Walsh rides Tricky Trickster (15.00) in the main race on the card, the aforementioned Midlands Grand National. Capable of fairly useful form on his day, Tricky Trickster has shown very little in two starts this season (possibly amiss last time), but will now encounter his favoured soft ground for the first time in over a year. All of his best form has come on such a surface and, although it's difficult to estimate his current level of ability, there's every likelihood that this Grand National entry could run a big race over a distance that holds no fears for him.

What was undoubtedly a very hectic week for the yard is quietly rounded off at local track Newton Abbot on Sunday where Water Garden goes in the opening novice hurdle. Despite showing only a poor level of form in two hurdles starts to date, Water Garden's performances have suggested that he's open to plenty of improvement. With fairly useful pair Shammick Boy and Topolski in the field, however, it remains to be seen whether his winning turn will come on Sunday but the run will qualify him for handicaps, which will present him with much more winnable opportunities in the future.

The final runner is Aldertune who, though quirky (blinkered first-time here), also has undoubted natural ability. Aldertune has now won three of his nine completed starts and hasn't been out of the first four in the other six, so it's difficult to crab him for all that he's not one to rely on. That said, he faces some promising types here in Voramar Two, Misstree Dancer and Fin Vin de Leu, who have all achieved a higher level of form than Aldertune so far, and he has his work cut out to enhance his impressive sequence of form figures.

Timeform / 18 Mar 2011