Paul Nicholls Friday Runners: Ideal chance for Caldwell Potter to get Cheltenham experience

• Paul Nicholls has just one runner at Cheltenham on Friday

• Caldwell Potter has ideal chance for Cheltenham experience

• Quick turnaround should not effect him

Watch Paul Nicholls talk to Betfair about his runners

Paul's Ditcheat Decs

It's quality over quantity this weekend for team Ditcheat with Caldwell Potter getting his first taste of the Cheltenham fences and a couple of live chances in the December Gold Cup on Saturday for Betfair ambassador @PFNicholls pic.twitter.com/Bya3sTVymb

-- Betfair Racing (@BetfairRacing) December 13, 2024

12:40 Cheltenham - Caldwell Potter

He made a perfect debut over fences for us from the front at Carlisle twelve days ago, jumping well if a tad left-handed before stretching clear on the run-in.

This race is a bit of an afterthought but there aren't many options for horses like him so it looks an ideal chance to give him experience over fences round Cheltenham.

He has been ticking over nicely at home and is ready for the next step up the ladder.

Timeform Verdict

Caldwell Potter raced only three times over hurdles last season but he quickly achieved a smart level of form and won the Grade 1 Future Champions Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown on what proved to be his final start for Gordon Elliott. That decisive victory earned him a Timeform rating of 147p and was of similar merit to what his brother Mighty Potter had produced in the same race two years earlier.

Mighty Potter sadly suffered a fatal fall as a novice chaser but had already proved himself as one of the best in the division with Grade 1 wins at Fairyhouse and Leopardstown.

Caldwell Potter also has the potential to make an impact at the highest level and he made a pleasing chasing debut at Carlisle a couple of weeks ago on his first start since he was purchased for €740,000 and sent to Paul Nicholls. He didn't have much to beat at Carlisle but did so with plenty in hand and has the Timeform 'Large P' symbol to show he's likely to make significant improvement.

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