Paul Nicholls Runners Preview: Twinjets needs career best to beat 'good thing' Pic d'Orhy in Charlie Hall

Paul's Saturday Runners at Wetherby

14:55 - Hitman and Twinjets

1

Hitman (Fr)

• J: Freddie Gingell
• T: Paul Nicholls
• F: 22P7/13PF-

• SBK 12/1
• EXC 16.5

I've won the Charlie Hall a lot of times with some good horses like See More Business, Silviniaco Conti and Bravemansgame. It's been a great race. Are Hitman and Twinjets in the same league as them? I wouldn't say so.

Hitman was second in a Denman Chase on soft ground over three miles, so the trip is not a problem, and he loves good ground, but he's got to give 4lb to all of the others. How he'll ever give 4lb to Pic d'Orhy is impossible, I'd say.

6

Twinjets (Ire)

• J: Harry Cobden
• T: Paul Nicholls
• F: 2P/11UP21-

• SBK 11/2
• EXC 7

Twinjets has crept up the handicap. He's been a good handicapper, he's rated 152, but basically Pic d'Orhy will be very hard to beat, as last season he had a penalty, but this season he doesn't because he didn't win last year. And if you look at the advantage he has in the handicap, he'll be very hard to beat, and almost a certainty.

My only concern with him is I'm not convinced he'll want the ground as fast as it is, but if Pic d'Orhy is on song, he'll win. We've just got to do our best to try and put it up to him and some of the others, but it's a good race and we'll be doing our best.

We had Pic d'Orhy since he was three years old (now with Dan Skelton) and look at some of the races we've won with him. It's the softest race he's run in for a long time by far, when you think he took on Jonbon last year, ran second in this race to a smart one from the Venetia Williams yard (Djelo), so you'd have to think he'll be tough to beat if he's on song, but we can only try. We've got a mountain to climb to beat him.

Because of his handicap mark, where else do you go with Twinjets? He does like a small field, and he stays three miles, he loves fast ground and he's got to go left-handed, so lots of positives, but he'll need a career best for him to win.

Paul's Saturday Runners at Ascot

14:33 - Viroflay

2

Viroflay (Fr)

• J: Mr Lucas Murphy
• T: Paul Nicholls
• F: 1/222120-1

• SBK 7/2
• EXC 4.8

The idea was to go to the Badger Ales Chase at Wincanton. He was going to have a prep race at Chepstow, but that was too quick, and the next day he went to Ffos Las, where the ground was too soft, so we didn't run there, so it's been frustrating.

He could have gone to Cheltenham last week, but then I was just thinking, when it started raining, perhaps Wincanton might be on and we'll go for the Badger Ales. But it wasn't to be, and we haven't got a lot of options.

He likes right-handed tracks, and you could argue he's better on a flat track, as all of his best runs have been on a flat track, but that could be coincidence more than anything.

He's fit and well. Lucas Murphy is taking off a very handy 7lb - Olive used to always claim 7lb when riding him - but he's as high up in the handicap as he's ever been, but he's got a lot in his favour. He's fresh and he's fit, so it's just whether he's good enough off his current mark.

I think Lucas has got a good future. He's still at school for another year, so he can't commit to everything full time, but we'll use him a bit, and so will everybody else, as he's a very good young jockey who has started very well and is very good value for his 7lb.

15:43 - Fasol

11

Fasol

• J: Sam Twiston-Davies
• T: Paul Nicholls
• F: 144743-36

• SBK 12/1
• EXC 14

He comes back in trip here, but he ran well in the Sussex Champion Hurdle last year over two miles around a sharp track like Plumpton. He needed his first run last year, and he needed the run the other day (at Chepstow), which was over two and a half miles on slow ground that didn't really suit him.

He ran very well in this race last year. He wasn't beaten too far behind Alexei. He's got a lovely weight, and Sam Twiston-Davies is riding him for the first time, as I just thought I'd try something different. It wouldn't surprise me if he won; it wouldn't surprise me if he finished fifth or sixth.

He's capable of going very well. He's got a lot in his favour, but it's a competitive race.

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