Nicholls plotting new Noland plan

Paul Nicholls has to find another race for Noland to make his chasing debut after the weather thwarted his planned run at Newbury tomorrow.

The champion trainer had hoped to give the seven-year-old his first outing since he won the 2006 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle in the Pheasant Inn Novices’ Chase at the Berkshire track.

However, as the meeting has been abandoned due to waterlogging, Nicholls now has to look through the programme book for an alternative.

“We’ll find a novice chase for him as soon as we can. There’s nothing set in stone and the ground’s obviously bad at the moment as well,” Nicholls told Teletext.

“We’ll just wait and I’ll look through the programme book and see what I can come up with.

“He’ll have loads of entries and run somewhere, but I haven’t made up my mind yet.”

Noland is prominent in the betting for the Arkle Challenge Trophy at the Cheltenham Festival and is a best-priced 16-1 with Coral even though he has yet to jump a fence in public.