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Very pleased with Quebecois' prep and he should run well
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Big day for Kalif Du Berlais as he gears towards the Tingle Creek
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Him Malaya probably has it all to do in a competitive handicap
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If the race doesn't come to soon Brave Knight should be very hard to beat
Exeter
13:50 - Quebecois
He had a wind op in the summer, which he always needed. He's run in a point-to-point, he jumps very soundly at home, so I hope he can transfer that to the track. He doesn't mind good ground, he wouldn't want it too soft, so hopefully he'll run very well. Very pleased with his prep.
14:25 - Kalif Du Berlais
He's the apple of my eye but he's got to take the next step forward. It's alright having lots of dreams, but he's got to produce it on the track now, but he's an improving young horse. He had a lovely away day with Quebecois and others at Newbury last week, so he's had a racecourse gallop. He looks fit and well, he's had a good prep.
We can talk as much as we like about what we think, but he's got to prove it on the track now and take the next step up the ladder if he's going to be a champion chaser.
It's a big day for him, he won on good ground at Aintree, he doesn't want it too soft, but it needs to be safe. When we get to Exeter we'll be having a good walk round the track to check the ground, and it could be we'll make a decision even after we've run Quebecois, But we want to run him if we can, and I'm very happy with him, he looks great.
We'd like to think he'll run very well, if he's going to be running in the Tingle Creek and races like that he needs to be going very close to winning this. We've used this as a great stepping stone for the Tingle Creek in the past but, as I say, the talking needs to stop and we need to see him produce on the track, which he's done in the past, and I think he'll run very well.
It's his first run of the season and whether it's here or we wait for Cheltenham next week, it will tell us an awful lot about where we go in the future.
15:00 - Him Malaya
I think he'll improve on his last run, and he probably didn't get the trip the last day either, I think two miles five is a bit far, back in trip to a stiff two miles ought to suit him well.
Olive (Nicholls) said to me to put some cheekpieces on him, just to focus his mind a little bit, which is what we've done.But I'd rather it was a five or six runner race than a 20-runner handicap. I think he's got it all to do in a competitive race.
Fontwell
14:35 - Brave Knight
He races off the same mark as when he bolted up at this venue 12 days ago, he's slightly up in trip to two miles three but he's 8lbs well-in, if he was running Saturday he'd be 8lbs higher and Freddie Keighley takes another 7lb off. I don't think this race will come too soon after his last run and if that's the case then he should be very hard to beat.