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Paul previews Il Ridoto in the Paddy Power Gold Cup
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Kalif Du Berlais is fine but we must be patient with him
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Regent's Stroll is ready and should go to Newbury in a fortnight
14:20 Cheltenham - Il Ridoto
He has won on the soft ground at Cheltenham but he has never won on anything slower than soft. I have always felt that he is a better horse on better ground. The forecast rain is not ideal but he is very fit and fresh and well. The time of year is the most important thing for him. I would prefer better ground but he has won on soft and we are hoping he can do the same again.
He won this race last year under Freddie Gingell. He seems to run very well in this race (The Paddy Power Gold Cup). He likes Cheltenham and likes this trip. He is on his right mark. This is his level.
Paul Nicholls: Kalif is fine and Regent's Stroll is ready
Kalif Du Berlais has come out of last week's Haldon Gold Cup well. He has had an easy week, doing just one canter per day. We will start tuning him up next week. I still haven't made a plan about where to go with him next.
I'm not 100% convinced about what happened last week. He had 12 stone and was as fast as he has ever been. It is hard in this country because there are no graduation of intermediate chases for second season novices to get some experience while running off top weight in a handicap. There is no obvious race for him.
Every test we did after the Haldon was fine. We will put a line through last week's run and find somewhere for him to run in about a month's time. We need to be patient and look after him.
Regent's Stroll is ready. He has had a racecourse gallop and we are hoping to school him on grass next week. There is a beginner's chase at Ascot next Friday (21 November), which is a possibility for him, but it is more than likely that we will be brave and put him in a graded race at Newbury the following weekend over two-and-a-half miles. He won on that card last year so I expect that is where he will go.
Racing...Only Bettor. Listen to the Saturday Cheltenham preview