Paul Nicholls: Rubaud must be at his best at Kempton on Sunday

• Three runners at Kempton for Paul on Sunday

• Rubaud aiming to win race for third successive year

• Him Malaya has "small chance" with Olive onboard

Paul sends three runners to Kempton on Sunday including Rubaud in the Listed 2m hurdle where Champion Hurdle runner-up Burdett Road is in opposition. 

Bookending Rubaud's run will be outings for Roadshow and Him Malaya, with Olive Nicholls aboard the latter. 

Get Paul's exclusive views on his runners here. 

Kempton 13:46 - Roadshow

Roadshow has gone up the weights after a win at Sedgefield last time out but Freddy (Keighley) takes a handy 7lb off him. Freddy got a little tune out of him last time and, if he runs like that again, he's got a chance.

Kempton 15:50 - Rubaud

Rubaud has won this race the last two years and he's started his season well, but whatever happens, he'll be going chasing after this.

With Burdett Road in the field this obviously won't be a walkover. He was second in the Champion Hurdle although I suppose you could argue, he's been a bit disappointing on the flat this summer and he's been on the go for a long time.

We're nice and fresh - and we're good fresh - but we'd have to be at our best, probably, to beat Burdett Road if he's at his very best.

But this is somewhere to get a run into Rubaud before we start back over fences. There are a couple of options for his next race. There's a £100k two-mile chase at Ascot, there's the Haldon Gold Cup if we don't run Khalif du Berlais.

There's plenty of options, really. But he just will improve for a run. It seems to be a bit of a pattern - they all look big and well, but they're needing a run. And he just might need that but it's early days.

Kempton 17:00 - Him Malaya

He's not the easiest horse to win with, and if there's plenty of rain, which they're forecasting on Sunday, that wouldn't be ideal. He loves good, fast ground.

But he is stepping up in trip, which we suggested last year he wanted so he's got a small chance. Again, he's one of those that will improve for the run. I'll be taking a little watching brief with ours after Chepstow last week. I think most horses this season will come on for a run, which is no bad thing.

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