Nicholls confident Kauto will star

Paul Nicholls has no worries about running Kauto Star in the totesport Bowl Chase at Aintree tomorrow.

It will be the eight-year-old’s first appearance since his defeat by Denman in the Cheltenham Gold Cup three weeks ago.

“If I’d had any one doubt during the last fortnight he wouldn’t be there. Clifford (Baker, head lad) rides him every day and he’s happy with him,” said the Ditcheat trainer.

“Three-miles-one-furlong round this track will suit him very well. I suppose slightly better ground will suit him. If you’d taken Denman out of the Gold Cup and he had gone and won impressively no-one would be doubting him.”

Although Kauto Star failed to land back-to-back Gold Cup victories when beaten by his stablemate, Nicholls believes it was a better performance than in 2007.

“I think Kauto Star ran better, on reflection, than he did when he won the race last year,” he went on.

“It was a much better race, the stats and the time shows that, the ratings show that

“He possibly didn’t jump with as much fluency but that happens from time to time. I think it was a much better race than when he won last year. He’s been in good form all season and if he runs anyway near that he will be hard to beat,” Nicholls told At The Races.

Nicholls also saddles Gungadu, who won the Racing Post Chase on his latest start.

He said: “He’s a hard horse to place now he rated 161, but he’s fresh and well and will like the ground. On all known form he has a mountain to climb.”

Exotic Dancer took the prize 12 months ago and connections are hoping for a repeat performance, although he has yet to finish in front of Kauto Star in six attempts.

“He’s in good shape. We’ve had a bit more time to prepare him than last time,” said Barry Simpson, racing manager to owner Sir Robert Ogden.

“We’re hopeful that he will run a race very similar to what he did last year. Then it would be very interesting.”

Exotic Dancer damaged a ligament in his back in January and faced a race against time to run in the Gold Cup in which he finished fifth.

Nicky Richards is to check out conditions at Aintree before committing Monet’s Garden to the race.

The Penrith trainer would like to run the grey in the £160,000 contest but is worried soft ground might test the 10-year-old’s stamina.

As a precaution, Richards has also left Monet’s Garden in the two-and-half-mile John Smith’s Melling Chase on Friday at the 48-hour final declaration stage.

“There’s a little bit of rain around. I just didn’t want to take any chances if it was a little bit dead and slow tomorrow,” he said.

“It’s probably going to be beautiful ground and he’ll probably run tomorrow, but just in case it did come up a little bit wetter than expected then he would go in the two-and-a-half-miler instead.

“We’ve got to have a slight concern about the trip. I know he’s won over it, but at that level I have a slight concern. At the moment he’s going for the Bowl as long as the ground’s OK.”

Monet’s Garden is a three-time Aintree winner and in October defeated Kauto Star there.

The fifth member of an elite line-up is David Pipe’s Our Vic, who landed the Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.