Nicholls: Don’t write off Denman
Racegoers at Newbury were left aghast as the 10-year-old unshipped champion jockey Tony McCoy after a couple of jumping errors and he was universally eased for the highlight of the Cheltenham Festival.
The sponsors have him at 11-4 to see off his stablemate and 4-6 favourite Kauto Star on March 19, with the score between the pair in the Gold Cup standing at one apiece.
Nicholls pointed to a lazy workout at Exeter prior to Denman’s thumping Hennessy win as an example of his character, and said: “I am not too perturbed by what happened at Newbury and they can’t win every time.
“Two years ago Kauto unseated Sam Thomas at Haydock and people said he was finished, but he came out and won the King George.
“He made a mistake at Newbury and paid the penalty. If he hadn’t made the mistake he would have won, in my opinion.
“He was in the same position in relation to Niche Market turning in as he was in the Hennessy and he was nowhere near ready – the run will have brought him on.
“If anyone saw his gallop at Exeter before the Hennessy, you would have thought he couldn’t win an egg-and-spoon race.
“He is tanking along at the moment and will have three weeks of seriously hard graft before the Gold Cup.
“What people said about Tony McCoy not suiting him is twaddle and you can write him off at your peril.”
Kauto Star became the first horse to reclaim the Gold Cup last March and Nicholls reported yesterday at his Cheltenham open day that the four-times King George winner is ready for the showdown with his stablemate.
“Kauto is well and looks fantastic in his coat,” said the champion trainer.
“As last year, he hasn’t ran since the King George and will go to Cheltenham fresh and well.
“He improved enormously from his first run at Haydock to the King George and you don’t want them at their best in their trials.
“He is the best he has ever been and if he turns up at Cheltenham at the topof his game, then it will be a momentous performance by anything to beat him, be that Denman or whoever.”
Ruby Walsh will stay loyal to Kauto Star, with Tony McCoy aboard Denman again, Sam Thomas partnering Tricky Trickster and Barry Geraghty mentioned as a possible for My Will or Taranis.
Nicholls added: “My Will has been out of form a little but all his best performances have come on good ground and he has been running on soft.
“The Grand National has been his target all season and he will run in the Gold Cup on his way to Aintree.”
Tricky Trickster made the most of Denman’s Aon mishap to steal the race, and Nicholls added: “With the weather, we hadn’t been able to school him over fences so there will be improvement to come from Newbury.
“Sam will ride and I think he will run a big race. He could be a dark horse for the Gold Cup.”
Supporters of dual Queen Mother Champion Chase winner Master Minded will be delighted to hear that Nicholls believes the seven-year-old is back to his brilliant best.
Despite scoring at Cheltenham and Punchestown last spring, Master Minded failed to show the same monstrous form which saw him land the 2008 Champion Chase by arunaway 19 lengths.
An X-ray after his below-par effort at Cheltenham on his seasonal bow revealed a fractured rib and after weeks of treatment, the speedster showed his true colours at Newbury earlier this month to go odds-on with the layers for a hat-trick in the two-mile championship.
Nicholls said: “He is looking like he did two years ago and is the best he has been for a long time. We found he had a problem after running at Cheltenham in that he had fractured his rib and he wasn’t ridden out for six weeks.
“He did 15 miles a day on the walker but I didn’t think he would be able to run before Cheltenham.
“However, he progressed so nicely that we ran him in the Game Spirit and he showed his old form.
“I had a nightmare training him last spring as his muscles kept tying up and he wasn’t at his best at Cheltenham or Punchestown, despite winning.
“He is now back to his best and I am really looking forward to running him.”
Nicholls and owner Clive Smith could also be represented in the race by Free World, and the trainer added: “We will leave him in both the Queen Mother and Grand Annual and see what weight he gets in the latter.”
Nicholls has nominated Ladbrokes World Hurdle favourite Big Buck’s as the horse most likely to add to his impressive tally at the Cheltenham Festival this year.
The champion trainer has visited the winner’s enclosure no less than 25 times at the Festival, making him second to only Nicky Henderson in the current training ranks in terms of victories, and Big Buck’s is 4-7 with totesport to land the stayers’ showpiece.
The seven-year-old is unbeaten over timber for Nicholls and heads back to Cheltenham to defend his crown after claiming the scalp of Punchestowns in the race last spring.
Nicholls said: “I am glad I didn’t run him in the Cleeve Hurdle like last year as there was nothing to prove and he can go to Cheltenham now nice and fresh.
“He looks fantastic and I have been very, very happy with his progress.”
“Both Big Buck’s and Master Minded have big chances and I would say Big Buck’s is my most likely winner.”
Nicholls also gives last year’s runner-up Celestial Halo a massive shout in the Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle despite his recent effort when he finished down the field in the Irish equivalent.
“He is just beginning to come to himself and always does great in thespring,” added Nicholls.
“The key to him is decent ground and it was bottomless at Leopardstown last time.
“He loves Cheltenham and always runs well there. I think he has an outstanding chance in what looks an open race on paper.
“He has already schooled over fences and will make a smart novice chaser next season.”
