Nicholls wary of dream penalty

Paul Nicholls has admitted to a tinge of regret having run Five Dream at Cheltenham last month ahead of Newbury’s totesport Trophy.

Nicholls believed the four-year-old would need to win to gain a penalty so as to be sure of getting into the handicap in tomorrow’s Grade Three showpiece.

However, he would have made it in to the line-up without his extra 4lb impost, which has put his weight up to 10st 7lb.

“I’m very happy with him, he’s very fresh,” said the champion trainer.

“I haven’t done a lot with him since Cheltenham. He has a nice weight, the ground is ideal and he’s on a roll,” he told At The Races.

“But in some ways I wish I hadn’t run him at Cheltenham because he would have got in without the penalty, and if we hadn’t run him he might have been that much fresher.

“But we couldn’t be happier with him.”