Paul Nicholls: Kalif Du Berlais is in fine form for a big Saturday at Kempton

Read Paul's thoughts on his 12 Saturday runners

It's another busy day for Paul Nicholls who sends out 10 runners across two meeting on Saturday with big runs excpected from a number of his chances...

  • Paul Nicholls previews his runners at Kempton and Warwick

  • Kempton gets the green light and Paul sends strong team

  • Kalif Du Berlais is Saturday's best chance in Grade 2


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Kempton runners

12:20 - Swingin Safari

He has a penalty for his Wincanton victory, there's a few winners in this race. He needs some more experience, my main aim is to run him in the two and a half mile novice hurdle at Aintree in April with a couple of runs beforehand. After this race we'll step him up to two and a half miles but it's a bit more experience for him and he's got a chance, definitely.


12:55 - Outlaw Peter

He needed the run at Newbury, I've had two or three like him in recent weeks, horses like Toothless and Sonigino have run well from their first run so I expect an improvement from him also.

The softer the ground the better for him. I didn't quite know at the declaration stage what the weather was going to do so we left him in, it would be handy if it rained and it turned soft for him. At the moment they're saying it's good to soft and that might just be sharp enough for him over two and a half miles.


12:55 - Go West

He's been good this year, gone up 3lb for his latest second but he's been running nicely, jumps very well, he's won at Kempton and he'll like the ground. I'd like to think that he's got a lovely chance.


14:05 - Welcome To Cartries

He got off the mark over fences at Sandown recently and the second has since ran well, and he's only gone up 4lb for that win which is handy. I think he's got a lovely chance as the track will suit him. He's had a month and a bit since his last run which is good so I'd rate him as one of our best chances of the day.


14:40 - Kalif Du Berlais

He's in fine form, I've been dying to step him up to two-and-a-half miles in a non-handicap so this Grade 2 Silviniaco Conte Chase is a race I've had in mind for a long time so it will be a disaster if the meeting is off because I wouldn't know where else to go.

He's very fit and very well. If you look at the way Dan Skelton's horse (Thistle Ask) has gone since that Haldon Gold Cup, we've tried to give him the best part of two stone so no wonder we couldn't go a gallop with him, so it might be a bit harsh to judge him on that run, his first run of the season. There wouldn't be too many that can lay up with Thistle Ask who has since won the Desert Orchid and is now rated 158.

I think Kalif Du Berlais has taken a big step forward since then and two-and-a-half miles will definitely suit him well, and I'd say he is my number one best chance of the day.


15:17 - Fasol

He's chasing a hat-trick so you could say Olive (Nicholls) is the key to him, she's ridden him twice and won twice so he goes well for her.

In this valuable Lanzarote Hurdle he runs of 10 stone when you add in Olive's 5lb claim, the ground is good, good to soft which is the same as his Musselburgh win, he'll love that as he wouldn't want it too soft, and he seems in really good form.

Obviously he won at Musselburgh just last week but I don't think he did a whole heap and he seems very well. I think he's got a lovely chance.


15:17 - Captain Teague

He's back over hurdles after two runs in chases last season, he's a Grade 1 winner over hurdles so I think a mark of 139 is fair for what he's done. I suspect, unless the ground is soft, he may not run. I've left him in hoping for a lot of rain.

He had some leg problems last year so I'd like to assess the ground, if it was genuinely soft I think he'd have a lovely chance and he'll run very well, but he won't run unless it's soft.

If he doesn't run the plan is to keep him over hurdles this season and get a few runs into him over the smaller obstacles. There's quite a valuable handicap at Windsor a week on Sunday, there's a race at Sandown at the end of the month worth £100k, so there are races for him over hurdles. But he does love soft ground which he won the Challow on a few seasons back.


15:17 - Just A Rose

She will come on massively for her run at Taunton, I said at the time that she would need the run so she will have improved enormously from that. She's a massive outsider and Harry Cobden will switch to her if Captain Teague doesn't run.

Off 10 st 3lb she has a lovely low weight, she ran okay the other day she just needed the run. She hasn't been easy to train, doesn't want the ground too soft and if that's the case then she's a big each-way player.


15:53 - Courageous Strike

He was second the last day at Doncaster, got beat a head, ran very nicely that day. He's up in class a bit here so we'll know where we are with him and whether we need to step down in grade but I think he'll run very well. He's fit and well, track will suit him and the ground will suit him.


Warwick runners

15:32 - Red Risk

He's not getting any younger, he's hard to place. He won very nicely at Uttoxeter last spring. He always comes on for a run, he ran okay at Haydock so I'd say he's got a small each-way chance.


Now read Paul Nicholls on how the weather is affecting his plans


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