Paul Nicholls: Twinjets loves Newbury and goes there in good form

• Paul Nicholls on his six runners at Newbury on Saturday

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Listen to this week's Racing...Only Bettor

I am really happy with my horses as we edge closer to the Cheltenham Festival

We are really happy at home now just over a week out to the Cheltenham Festival.  You know, the horses have done their last serious bits of work, and we have just a couple to school next week, just to sharpen them up, and it's now a matter of just normal routine work. Keeping them fit and fresh and healthy and well, and we arevery happy with them all.

Huge respect to Nicky Henderson, he made the right call with Constitution Hill

I think huge respect has to go to Nicky for making the decision, and so quickly. It wouldn't have been an easy one, and I think by winning at Southwell it sort of gave him a bit more of a headache, to be honest with you.

I've got no doubt in my mind that from racing's point of view, from the horse's point of view, and for all connections, they've probably done the right thing. He doesn't look like he's just going to be an ordinary horse on the Flat. If they place him right, he could do very well, so I think they've definitely made the right decision.

Middle distance contests might suit Constitution Hill better than longer flat races

Constitution Hill won over a mile and a half the other day. He's a very pacey horse. How far does he want to go? You could argue that there's some middle-distance races rather than those long-distance races that will suit him, but I don't know the Flat programme that well. I'm sure Nicky will know what he's doing, and it'll be interesting to follow his progress.

Paul Nicholls Newbury Runners on Saturday

13:35 - Treasure Planet

He is very interesting. We have put a hood on him for Saturday. He's been a bit keen in the last few races. He needs to learn to settle a little bit better. Nice ground will suit him, and he's got a lovely light weight there with the four-year-old allowance. I could see him running really well, but he's just been a bit keen. He needs to settle, Jay will drop him in, get a lead as long as he can, and I'd say he'll run well.

He has some form alongside our new recruit Bibe Mus who was second at Aintree and ran well. Treasure Planet just ran far too free and didn't really finish off his race but that was a while back, he's had plenty of time, and he'll run well.

14:10 - Brave Knight

He should enjoy this trip round here on a big galloping track that will suit him. He's had a little break since his last run, but he always seems to go quite well fresh. He's probably on a career-high mark now, pretty high in the  handicap for him, so he's got it all to do, but he's very well.

14:40 - Mon Champion

He's fine after his fall at Leicester last time out, he's done plenty of schooling. It was just a bit unfortunate. He would have gone very close that day; he was just staying on strongly. Two and a half miles is going to suit him a lot better than two, that's for sure. I just don't want it to dry up too much for him. He loves soft ground. But if it's not too bad, he'll run nicely.

I think he is well handicapped. I think he'd have gone very well the last day. He won a nice race, but two and a half is going to bring out more improvement.

15:15 - Brave Kingdom

He stays very nicely. He's run well at Newbury before. He ran a lovely race at Taunton the other day with 12 stone, ran nicely, and was back to form. This is the ideal race for him. I think he's one of our best chances of the day if he can follow up from Taunton.

15:45 - Twinjets

He is good. Obviously, it was a bit of an unfortunate fall, we thought he'd go well that day. Well, he didn't actually fall, he unseated technically, but it might just as well have been a fall.

He loves Newbury, he really goes well there, and he's in good form. Again, he's pretty well on a high enough mark now, but he will appreciate the fact that it hasn't rained too much. Good to soft ground is fine but if it dried any more, that would suit him even better. He has got top weight, but I think we've won this race about 10 times, or we're going for our tenth win. He's got a chance.

If he won this, he'd end up with a penalty in the Plate, which won't help too much, and then you'd have to run him in the Ryanair at the Cheltenham Festival and hope you won a bit of place money. We'll have that sort of discussion afterwards, but this has always been his target. This is his Gold Cup in my book.

16:23 - Just A Rose

She has been a really frustrating filly this season, because she won like a good thing at Taunton, then pulled up at the Cheltenham Festival. She ran nicely on her debut. First time up and was fifth, we thought she'd win the next day. She never jumped one hurdle at Kempton, I don't know why. The ground was quick enough that day, because I remember Fasol ran very, very well. I think the ground was good that day. That might not suit her, so a bit of cut in the ground would help. She's done a lot of schooling, we've sharpened her jumping up, and she seems very well. She has to leave that ordinary run behind her, but she might well do. If she does, she'll run well. She's a bit of an enigma.

I think 100% she is better than her current mark to 120. I fancied her to go well in the Lanzarote the other day after her first run of the season. Harry Cobden got off after the first run and said we knew she'd need it, then she'd nearly win the next day. It never happened. She never jumped one hurdle. I don't know why, it was a bad performance. Look, we've freshened her up, done a few different things. She's done a lot of schooling, and a big galloping track might suit her, so if she puts her best foot forward, 120 is a good mark.

Paul's best chance of the weekend: Twinjets.

Now read Cheltenham Festival 2026: The Ultimate Guide