Paul Nicholls Aintree Day 1 Runners: Sans Bruit my best chance on Thursday

Paul on the Grand National Festival

It's a great three days of racing, I've always loved the Aintree meeting, it's always been good to us in the past. It's a bit less pressure than Cheltenham, we always stay up there for the three days, it's a good meeting and we're looking forward to having some nice runners.

We'll probably have a smaller team than usual; we'll be a bit more selective. It's going to be a tough week, but we can't wait to get on with it.

The ground is good to soft on both tracks so no one can really complain. They'll probably have the National course a little bit slower than the Mildmay course. It looks like a nice day on Wednesday, there's a bit of rain but not much so the Mildmay course will probably end up good to soft, good in places and the National track will be good to soft, so full marks to everyone for getting it like that and no one can complain.

Paul Nicholls on his Thursday runners at Aintree

Manifesto Novices' Chase, Aintree, 14:20 - Blueking D'Oroux

He ran very well the last day with cheekpieces on at Kempton, he only just got beat. This is altogether a stiffer test, a Grade 1, but there's only five runners and he's become a solid jumper.

A couple of these had a hard race at Cheltenham but Lulamba will be hard to beat over two and a half miles, I think it will suit him much better than two.

Welfare Bowl, Aintree, 14:55 - Pic D'Orhy

He's a big price, he's fresh and well, and he ran arguably a career best the last day when he cracked a million pound in prize money when second to Jonbon in an epic race at Kempton.

He's had 55 days or so since that race, he needed all of that so he's nice and fresh, he likes Aintree, he likes a flat track, and there's a few ifs and buts about some of the others in this race.

Spillane's Tower really needs it soft so it will be interesting to see if they declare him for the National on Wednesday. Protektorat has been very good on soft ground, but he had a hard race two runs ago on soft ground, but he's a grand horse, and Impaire Et Passe pulled up last time.

Jango Baie is the one to beat after his second in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, but it's hard to come to Aintree and reproduce that form after having a hard race in the Gold Cup, it never worked for us, but on form he is the one to beat.

So, it's one of those races that is quite open and I think Pic D'orhy is a big price. He's not getting any younger but he's a tough, genuine horse, and hopefully he'll run his race.

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Foxhunters' Open Hunters' Chase, Aintree, 15:30 - Golden Son

The drop back in trip might not help him as he stays very strong. It's good that the ground on the National course is good to soft because he wouldn't want it too quick.

He might just get a bit outpaced so that could be an issue for him as he's not the quickest in the world, he's a real stayer; he won well at Taunton on heavy ground, and he won over three miles plus at Warwick on soft ground.

He's been around Auteuil and lots of those tracks so I'm sure he'll give Olive a lovely ride round, but the slower the ground the better it will suit him. He's got a chance, he was fourth in the Foxhunters at Cheltenham, he'll be staying on strongly.

Red Rum Handicap Chase, Aintree, 16:40 - Sans Bruit

He's going for a hat-trick in the race and he just loves Aintree and this time of the year. I saw him out this morning with the sun on his back, he looks fresh and well. He hates the middle of winter when it's wet and raining and cold, that just seems to be him, some horses seem to like this time of the year.

He seems very well, he's only 3lb higher than when winning last year and originally before the weights went up he had 10st 1lb, which for a small horse would have suited him quite well, but with the weights going up a stone it's let a few in at the bottom.

It's probably not the most competitive race that it has been but he's still got it all to do, but he's probably one of our best chances of the meeting, and by the time the race comes around at 16:40 the ground might have dried a little bit also, and that will suit him.

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