Voici could make French connection

Nick Williams may take his impressive Finale Juvenile Hurdle winner Me Voici over to France later in the season in search of some soft ground.

The giant gelding, who stands over 17 hands high, improved markedly on his previous run at Newbury to run out a stylish winner over Paul Nicholls’ much-touted French import Sang Bleu.

However, Williams is not keen on running him in the Triumph Hurdle and views Me Voici more as a long-term prospect, with the valuable Grade One four-year-old events at Auteuil on his radar.

“I thought the ride Daryl (Jacob) gave Me Voici in the Finale was exceptional,” said Williams.

“It was only his third run over hurdles, he ran on ground too fast at Bangor and then ran really well behind one of Paul Nicholls’ (Royal Mix) at Newbury so his form going into it was pretty good.

“The Triumph is not an obvious race for him, he’s over 17 hands high, he’s a chaser of the future.

“The problem with the Festival nowadays is that it tends to be run on very fast ground, especially the Friday.

“I haven’t got a specific target for him but he could go to Auteuil – he doesn’t have to run in England and he has to have cut.”

Williams notched up another Grade One just a day later when Reve De Sivola rallied gamely to land the Challow Hurdle at Newbury.

“He’s a fairly obvious horse for the Neptune Investment (formerly Ballymore) at Cheltenham, rather than the three-miler,” the Devon handler told At The Races.

“I would think he’d go over fences the following year – he won’t stay hurdling.”