Nicholls ponders running Master Minded at Punchestown
Despite the five-year-old racing off level weights at Prestbury Park, Nicholls’ new star would receive a 7lb weight-for-age allowance in the Kerrygold Champion Chase on April 22.
Although Master Minded was likely to have been saved until the Tingle Creek in December, trainer Paul Nicholls and owner Clive Smith will now discuss the possibility of taking him to Ireland.
“Immediately after the race I said that I was thinking of not running Master Minded again (this season), but I’ve had a look at the programme book,” said Nicholls.
“At Punchestown the five-year-olds still get a 7lb allowance in the Champion Chase so we can run him in that getting 7lb off all the other horses, which is very attractive.
“I’ve mentioned that to Clive so we’ll enter him and have a chat about it - there is an outside possibility that, if we’re all happy, he could run there.
“After all, he’s not going to run until the Tingle Creek which is a long way away,” the Ditcheat handler told At The Races.
Meanwhile beaten Arkle favourite Noland could have his final race of the season at Ayr’s Spring meeting.
The Nicholls-trained seven-year-old could only finish third behind highly-impressive winner Tidal Bay at Cheltenham.
And while Nicholls concedes he has probably run his last race over two miles, he is in no rush to step him up to three just yet.
“I think Noland ran OK, I think he just wants a bit further,” said Nicholls.
“Funnily enough I was talking to Phil Smith (handicapper) afterwards and he said his highest rating over hurdles was 143 and that was the mark he ran to in the Arkle, which is interesting.
“He just wants three miles, it’s as simple as that.
“We’ll probably not go to Aintree with him, I think I’ll wait until next year before we go three miles with him.
“There is a two-and-a-half-mile novice chase at Ayr (Future Champions Chase) and we’ll probably go there with him.”
Nicholls had no excuse for Twist Magic, who failed to land a blow behind stablemate Master Minded in the Queen Mother Champion Chase.
“Twist Magic did run disappointingly. We’ve had a look at him this morning and can find nothing wrong with him,” he told At The Races.
“Whether the ground was a bit tacky I don’t know but he was disappointing, for whatever reason.”
