Nicholls chasing his dream treble

Paul Nicholls has assembled a team of some 30 horses for next week’s Cheltenham Festival, the Olympics of British and Irish jumps racing.

But the Ditcheat handler, who is 6-4 second-favourite with Coral to retain the Daily Telegraph Award for leading trainer, admitted yesterday that the prize he covets most next week is the Queen Mother Champion Chase, which Azertyuiop will bid to win for the second year running.