Nicholls bids to continue Tingle Creek domination
The Ditcheat trainer has won the last six renewals of the Esher showpiece, and eight times in all.
Two of those wins were achieved by the great Kauto Star, whose half-brother Kauto Stone was a surprise name among the 11 entries.
The five-year-old French import made an impressive debut for the Nicholls team when winning the Ladbrokes.com Chase at Down Royal earlier this month, giving the trainer his 2,000th career success.
The Tingle Creek has been the plan for Tataniano after a successful reappearance at Chepstow in October.
The race has attracted one Irish-trained entry, Sizing Europe, the reigning Queen Mother Champion Chase hero.
Henry de Bromhead’s charge drops back in trip after finishing second to Quito De La Roque in the three-mile JNwine.com Champion Chase at Down Royal.
“The Tingle Creek is the plan at the moment. He seems in good form and we’re going to give it a go,” De Bromhead told At The Races.
“It was obviously a tough race at Down Royal, but he seems in good form since so we’re happy to let him take his chance.
“I’ll say for the moment we will concentrate on two miles and two and a half, but I wouldn’t rule out going back to three on better ground.
“We’ve just tried to freshen him up since Down Royal and keep him good and supple and agile.”
Nicky Henderson has put in one of last season’s top novices, Finian’s Rainbow, while Wishfull Thinking is a possible from the Philip Hobbs stable. David Pipe is double handed with Dan Breen and I’msingingtheblues, while Nick Williams also has two entries in Cornas and Gauvain.
Gary Moore’s Fix The Rib and Kinkeel, trained by Tony Carroll, complete the list.
Kauto Stone’s entry is “purely precautionary” should the heavens open to put stablemate Tataniano’s participation in question.
“The entry is purely precautionary in case the rain that’s forecast doesn’t materialise,” said Charlie Liverton, racing manager to owner Robin Geffen.
“If it doesn’t, then we’ll be off to Huntingdon for the Peterborough or Ireland (for the John Durkan) as previously planned.
“If it rains we’ll have a look at the race. Paul (Nicholls) doesn’t want to run two horses in the race.
“If the rain wasn’t forecast we wouldn’t have put the entry in.
“He came out Down Royal really well and we’re looking forward to his next appearance.”
The going on the chase course at Sandown was today described as good, good to firm in places in the back straight.
Meanwhile Keiran Burke raised the possibility of popular mare Sparky May going novice chasing this season.
A Grade Two winner at Ascot and only beaten by the mighty Quevega at the Cheltenham Festival, Sparky May was a respectable fourth to Big Buck’s on her comeback in Saturday’s Sportingbet Long Distance Hurdle at Newbury.
First on the agenda is a rematch with the supreme staying hurdler in next month’s BGC Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot.
“She’ll come on a good bit from the run, but I was very pleased with her,” Burke said.
