Nicolls: Kauto's no soft touch

Paul Nicholls is confident the testing conditions at Haydock tomorrow will not be a problem for Kauto Star when he makes his eagerly-anticipated return in the Betfair Chase.

The dual Gold Cup hero has been off the track since securing the second of his Cheltenham crowns, and will be chasing a third success in this weekend’s Grade One following victories in 2006 and 2007.

He parted company with Sam Thomas at the final fence in last year’s renewal, however, when victory was far from assured.

But Nicholls feels his charge is in much better form this time.

He said: “People talk about this race last year but there really is no comparison as I shouldn’t have run him that day, having already been to Down Royal. This year he is fresh and ready to go.

“We’re very happy with him and he isn’t like Master Minded, who needed the run at Cheltenham last week.

“I suppose you never know how much they will need the run until they actually go, but we are very pleased with where he is at the moment.”

Although much of the country has been hit by torrential rain, Haydock appears to have escaped the worst of it, with just two millimetres of overnight rain on Thursday.

Kauto Star has won on soft ground on five occasions since joining the champion trainer, who warned it would be folly to write him off on Merseyside.

Nicholls added: “They’ve only had the two millimetres of rain overnight and obviously it’s going to be soft ground.

“But I don’t think it will be too different to how it was when he won at Down Royal last season.”

Nigel Twiston-Davies is represented by last year’s Paddy Power Gold Cup and Ryanair Chase scorer Imperial Commander.

The Naunton trainer could not be happier with his charge ahead of the eight-year-old’s reappearance.

“We’re very much looking forward to it and the horse is in great form,” said Twiston-Davies.

“It was soft ground when he won the Paddy Power last year and that was over two miles and five furlongs – on a stiff track with a hill at the end – so I’m not too concerned about the trip or ground.

“I wouldn’t say I’m confident, but our horse is in good shape and I think he’ll run very well.”

Andrew Lynch will bid for his first top-level triumph on British soil when he gets the leg-up on Jim Dreaper’s Notre Pere.

The pair have already combined to win the Welsh National and the Punchestown Guinness Gold Cup.

“I’m really looking forward to it and, the way it’s looking at the moment, the ground looks as though it should be in our favour,” said Lynch.

“He was still going well when he fell at Down Royal the last day but it was still a long way out, so it is difficult to say whether he’d have won or not.

“Kauto Star is obviously going to be tough to beat, but you should never be afraid of one horse.”

Keith Reveley admits veteran Rambling Minster is unlikely to trouble the principals, but the trainer has been left with little option but to let him take his chance.

“The horse is in great form but, with his rating, there isn’t really anywhere else we could go with him in the north,” said the Saltburn handler.

“It was either run here or run in the Becher at Aintree the following day and as he got a bit of a fright over the fences in the National last season, we thought we’d better not go there.

“Realistically we can’t expect to challenge the first three or four in the betting, but I hope he’ll still give a good account and there is prize-money down to eighth.”

Just eight runners are now due to go to post, with Nicholls’ second string Nozic ruled out after going lame.