Paul Nicholls Stable Tour

Form profile

Winner of 10 of his 31 starts and currently rated 141 over fences. Finished runner-up, beaten a length and a quarter, to stablemate Bob And Co in a hunter chase at Fontwell (3m 2f) last Sunday.

Trainer says

I think Bob And Co will go to Aintree if David (Maxwell) rides Shantou Flyer so Alcala will probably run. He has not had a great prep as he run at Fontwell on Sunday so he has had two runs in a week, so he has got to get over those. He will be the only one I'm likely to have in it. I think Bob And Co won't get the three and a quarter at Cheltenham and I know he got it at Fontwell but that was at a trot. I think he would run to free. I think Bob And Co would suit Aintree as he would bowl along around there jumps great and it would be a different ball game. If we get Alcala back to his best, he is not without a chance as it is an open Foxhunter.

Form profile

Winner of five of his 20 starts and currently rated 143 over fences. Best effort this term when runner-up, beaten a neck, to Happy Diva in the BetVictor Gold Cup at Cheltenham (2m 4f) in November off a mark of 138.

Trainer says

I suspect he will run in the two-mile five race (Plate) as he was second in the BetVictor Gold Cup in the autumn and that track suits him. That would be my choice anyway.

Form profile

Winner of seven of his 24 starts and currently rated 153 over fences. Gained his last success in a handicap chase at Ascot (2m 1f) in November when beating Diego Du Charmil 12 lengths off a mark of 143.

Trainer says

He has had a good season. He won the very valuable handicap chase at Ascot in November there and he was a bit unlucky the first time with Diego Du Charmil when they had that collision. We have kept him fresh and he is in the Grand Annual and I suspect that is what we will run him in. He is probably not the best handicapped horse in the country, and he stands in no man's land. He is probably just a Grade 2 horse so it is hard to find races with him. He is a gallop companion for Politologue and he went nicely with him this morning. A big field in two mile chases where they go flat out suits him so hopefully the Grand Annual will suit him nicely. He looks really well and has just come together nicely.

Form profile

Winner of eight of his 21 starts and currently rated 173 over fences. Was landing the King George VI Chase at Kempton (3m) on Boxing Day for a second year running when slamming stablemate Cyrname 21 lengths.

Trainer says

He is a dual King George winner. He looks absolutely fantastic in his coat and he went to Wincanton this morning. He did a proper work out with Frodon over two miles. It was part of their prep to go somewhere this week. I was thrilled with how this lad worked this morning. He went particularly well. I'm very pleased with him and he has had a great preparation. Last year we went to the Denman Chase and we went to Cheltenham. This year we have done a different preparation as we have worked out that he is at his best when he has a run then a nice gap. His best runs were last year from Haydock to Kempton and this year Down Royal to Kempton. He is only eight and he is bound to have improved and he is in as good as shape as he has ever been. He won the King George this season particularly well. I don't need to defend him in anyway as he is a proper horse. He hasn't won at Cheltenham yet but perhaps it will happen in two weeks. Some have said he doesn't act at Cheltenham but he hasn't run too bad at Cheltenham in a few runs. He ran well in last year's Gold Cup he wasn't beaten much by Whisper in a novice chase. He carried top weight and was second in the Caspian Caviar Gold Cup when he was half the horse then. He ran well in last year's Gold Cup he was fifth and jumped the last bang there with them but didn't quite finish. We rode him very to the fore last year and this year we will ride him with a bit more restraint and take our time with him and deliver him late. The key to him is that he is a year older and has had a different preparation. He is very effective when he is very fit and fresh which is a combination that is lethal. I'm really looking forward to him running in two weeks’ time.

Form profile

Winner of 10 of his 24 starts and currently rated 139 over hurdles. Scored by six lengths from Ebony Gale when last seen out in a handicap hurdle at Exeter (2m 2 1/2f) in January 2019 off a mark of 136.

Trainer says

He is going to have a run at Newbury on Saturday, but he hasn't run for a year. He could run in one of the handicaps on the last day, the boys’ race or something like that.

Form profile

Winner of six of his 15 starts and currently rated 160 over fences. Having his first run for over a year when third, beaten three and a half lengths, to Altior in the Grade 2 Game Spirit Chase at Newbury (2m 1/2f) this month.

Trainer says

He had a great season last season as a novice chaser, and he won four times including the Henry VIII. He was doing really well and kept progressing. He got a leg injury at Doncaster so it meant he missed the rest of the season. We always had the plan to run him in the Game Spirit en route to the Champion Chase. For a horse that was having his first run out of novice company and hadn't run for a year I thought it was a blinding run to be beat by three and a half lengths. He basically jumped the last in front and he has improved enormously for that run. He is an improved horse. Harry said he jumped the second last going well but that he wouldn't commit just in case he got a little bit tired. He worked very nicely this morning at Wincanton and again he won't mind it raining. He is a really lively outsider in my book, and he wouldn't need to improve much on the Newbury run to put him right in the mix and he is bound to have improved on that run.

Form profile

Winner of 14 of his 34 starts and currently rated 168 over fences. Landed the Ryanair Chase at Cheltenham (2m 4 1/2f) last year by a length and a quarter from Aso. Returned to winning form latest start in a Grade 2 at Kempton (2m 4 1/2f) in January when beating Keeper Hill a length and a quarter.

Trainer says

He was last year's hero. He didn't have an ideal preparation before Christmas as he run in the Old Roan off top weight using that as a preparation for the Betfair Chase and of course all the fences came out and he basically had a gallop round. Then he completely underperformed in the Betfair Chase and Clifford (Baker) gastroscoped him and he found out he had grade four ulcers. In all the seasons he has been in training with us he has never had an ulcer or a problem. For whatever reason he had them. We treated him up to Christmas for that and got them cleared up and away. We got him tuned up for Kempton. I thought he would win and he won quite nicely and he has improved a lot since then. He worked very well with Clan Des Obeux this morning. He was his normal free and enthusiastic self. He gave Clan a good tow and kept on galloping. He loves this time of year and is exactly where he wants to be. He is in the Gold Cup, but he is almost certain to run in the Ryanair unless things change enormously. He loves Cheltenham and he loves going left-handed and he loves the New Course. If it kept on raining it would do him any harm. He is in a good place with himself and really ready to defend his crown. He never knows when he is beat, and I was really pleased with him this morning.

Form profile

Winner of five of his 8 races and currently rated 150 over fences. Winner of his three chases, beating Debuchet two and a quarter lengths in a novice handicap chase at Ascot (2m 1f) in December of a mark of 132, scoring by five and a half lengths from Cracking Find in a handicap chase at Musselburgh (2m) at the start of this month and defeating Champagne Mystery five lengths in a novice event at Fakenham (2m 1/2f) a fortnight later.

Trainer says

He has won his last three races, and only three races over fences, having won two over hurdles last year. He won at Ascot, Musselburgh and Fakenham last week which was his third run which enabled me to qualify him for the Grand Annual. He is now rated 150. He is in the Arkle as well and I think that is a tough race. I think if we could win an Arkle we should go well off 150 in a Grand Annual. A fast run race will suit him. Although he has only run three times he jumps good and is a solid horse. I suspect he will go to the Grand Annual unless I get any hiccup with him. The ideal thing would be to go to the Grand Annual then the Grade 1 novice at Aintree. He has done really well and is a nice young improving horse that should go well in a Grand Annual. In a year's time he might be rated 160 as he is a real progressive two-mile chaser.

Form profile

Winner of two of his four starts and currently rated 140 over hurdles. Scored by six and a half lengths from Prefontaine on his latest start at Ludlow (2m) in January.

Trainer says

He joined us in the summer after winning his only start in Auteuil in the spring and won nicely. We went to Cheltenham with him in November and he pulled very hard. He didn't really go in the ground and it was a bit of a disaster. We found out he had quite bad ulcers so we treated him for that. We went to Ludlow and he absolutely bolted in. We've kept him back and he has got a mark of 140 which puts him in between the horses at the top of the Boodles and the Triumph Hurdle. I've not spoken to JP's team what they would like to run him in but I guess it would be the Boodles (Fred Winter). He worked at Wincanton this morning with the others and went nicely. I'd say he is quite a smart young horse and that there is a lot in front of him yet.

Form profile

Winner of 10 of his 25 starts and currently rated 165 over fences. Better effort this term on his reappearance in the Grade 2 Shloer Chase at Cheltenham (2m) in November when runner-up, beaten a length and a quarter, to Defi Du Seuil.

Trainer says

He was second in the Champion Chase last year and he ran very well at Cheltenham in the autumn when he gave three pounds to Defi Du Seuil and ran really well that day. He ran in the Tingle Creek and we found out that he bled. He is always good fresh like Clan Des Obeaux so we purposely haven't run him since then with the idea of him going to Cheltenham very fresh. We took a few horses to Wincanton this morning for a nice two-mile piece of work and he worked nicely. He has had a great preparation if it keeps raining it will suit him and he is a real lively outsider in the Champion Chase. He is almost the forgotten horse if you think he wasn't beaten far last year, and he saved his best race for Cheltenham. He jumped the last virtually upsides Altior and wasn't beaten too far. He has come right at this time of year and he looks great. He is well on schedule to run in the Champion Chase then he will probably go to Aintree afterwards for the two and half miler.

Form profile

Winner of eight of his 20 starts and currently rated 156 over hurdles. Finished runner-up, beaten a length and a half, to William Henry in the Grade 2 National Spirit Hurdle at Fontwell (2m 3f) this month.

Trainer says

He ran second on Sunday in what was a bit of an odd race in the National Spirit at Fontwell. I've always thought he is a horse that keeps a little bit to himself and I very nearly one time put cheekpieces on him and on Sunday I wish I did. He went to the front at Fontwell and like they do he just hung right-handed where they come off the course and pulled himself up and threw the race away. He is in the County Hurdle off top weight and if it kept on raining and it came up testing it just crossed my mind with the weights being condensed, he would carry 11st 12lb I might take five off him with Bryan Carver. He may be worth looking at the County Hurdle as it would suit him. He beat Call Me Lord at Sandown the time before. He is just a good fun proper horse. He has won two along the way likes Cheltenham and it is not beyond the realms of possibility that if it kept on raining, we could run him in the County Hurdle.

Form profile

Winner of five of his 9 starts and currently rated 145 over fences. Made a winning debut for the stable in a novice chase at Catterick (2m 3f) on Tuesday when beating Crixus’s Escape three and three quarter lengths.

Trainer says

He won the other day at Catterick and he will probably run in the Marsh as I think that is the race for him. If the ground dried up, he could go in the RSA. He won nicely the other day, but he will improve tons for that.

Form profile

Winner of three of his 7 starts and currently rated 147 over hurdles. Scored by eight and a half lengths from Rockadenn in the Victor Ludorum Juvenile Hurdle at Haydock (1m 7 1/2f) this month.

Trainer says

He will definitely run in the Triumph Hurdle and we thought he was our main contender before Solo came out last week. He has progressed really well from a really slow start. He was a bit of a Jack The Lad to start with and he is probably well named but he has progressed and has got a good attitude and done everything right. At Exeter on New Year's Day he won an all age novice hurdle by 36 lengths to make sure that wasn't a fluke we went to Haydock for the Victor Ludorum and he hosed in again. He has got a mark of 146 which puts him right up there. A fast run race where they go a gallop will suit him well as he will gallop all the way up the hill. He is a progressive young horse but whether he is in the same mould as Solo is a different matter. He is a horse that will win a lot of races and he will give a great account of himself at Cheltenham as he is tough and will gallop all the way up the hill.

Form profile

Winner of two of his three starts and currently rated 157 over hurdles. Made an impressive debut for the stable when scoring by 13 lengths from Fujimoto Flyer in the Grade 2 Adonis Juvenile Hurdle at Kempton (2m) this month.

Trainer says

He is a beautiful horse. He probably about the only colt still running over hurdles at the moment. He is by Kagarde who is the same sire as Clan Des Obeaux. We brought him as a future chaser as you can see by the model of him. On his debut at Auteuil he battled on to be second behind a horse called Stratagem that we have got. He improved enormously on his next run and he won by 15 lengths and we managed to buy him. We have been delighted ever since we have had him. He is a big tank of a thing and takes loads of work. We love what we saw of him. He was going to go to Wincanton a fortnight ago and we thought we would start small and work up. That was off so we went to Kempton and I'm glad we did as we had that bit of a wow factor and we realised just what we had on our hands. There is loads for us to work on. He has got plenty of condition and he thrives on his work and you would hardly know that he had a race at the weekend. He has got a mark of 157 but I think the handicapper must have just got a ruler out and just worked out he was 10 lengths in front of the rest and put him up 10lbs. It is quite a lofty rating and he is nearly rated the same as some in the Champion Hurdle. That would be interesting that with an 8lb four year old allowance but he will run in the Triumph. I was worried Saturday going into Kempton having been to Auteuil which is a big galloping track Kempton might find him out a little bit on a flat right-handed track not being a Flat horse but he coped with it well, galloped along and quickened away in the straight. We are very hopeful that he will go well at Cheltenham.

Form profile

Winner of one of his three hurdles and currently rated 133 over hurdles. Off the mark with a length and a half victory from Group Stage in the Listed Scottish Triumph Hurdle at Musselburgh (1m 7 1/2f) this month.

Trainer says

He has had three runs. He was second to Goshen at Sandown on his debut. He was second over Kempton at Christmas and run well then he won the Musselburgh Triumph Hurdle Trial. He has got a mark of 133 which is fair, and I think we can do something off the mark in the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle. He is a horse that has just kept on progressing. It is a race we have done well in and I would have said this lad will have a leading chance. He is lovely horse and he will make a proper chaser one day as he has a bit of size and scope.