Cheltenham tips: Champion trainer Paul Nicholls picks his ten horses to follow at the Festival

Nicholls rates two-time King George winner Clan Des Obeaux as his best chance of the week
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Paul Nicholls9 March 2020

Paul Nicholls expects to make a slow start to the Cheltenham Festival but is hoping to end it with a flourish.

The 11-time champion trainer has suggested he might not have a runner on Tuesday, when the meeting begins, but he is not grumbling because he has the smell of a fifth Cheltenham Gold Cup triumph in his nostrils.

The 57-year-old believes Clan Des Obeaux has what it takes to emulate his former winners of the race – See More Business, Kauto Star (twice) and Denman – in the meeting’s showpiece contest on Friday week and he has other aces to play on the final day.

“I think we’ve got a few less to run this year, we’ve just been a bit more selective,” Nicholls said. “I only want to run horses who have got chances. We might not even have a runner on the Tuesday, which would be unheard of for us, but I’m not going to go there for a just to have a day out with anything. We’ve got some nice horses in the nice races.”

Here’s what he had to say about ten of his main challengers...

Dynamite Dollars - Queen Mother Champion Chase

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Dynamite Dollars had a great season last year as a novice chaser, winning four including the Grade 1 Henry VIII Novices' Chase at Sandown.

He was doing really well but unfortunately got hurt when he won at Doncaster, which meant he missed the rest of the season. We got him back in October and the plan was to always run him in the Game Spirit on route to the Champion Chase.

For a horse who was having his first run outside of novice company, having not run for a year, I thought it was a blinding run at Newbury to be beaten three and a half lengths.

He has improved enormously since that run. He is a real lively outsider in my book.

Politologue - Queen Mother Champion Chase

Politologue (right) in the Shloer Chase at Cheltenham earlier this season
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Politologue was just beaten by Defi Du Seuil at Cheltenham in November, giving him weight. He then ran ordinarily in the Tingle Creek [at Sandown] and we found out he bled. We have purposely not run him since then, with the idea of going to Cheltenham, as he is very effective when fresh.

He was one of the horses we took to Wincanton recently. He has had a great preparation and it does not matter how much it keeps raining because that will suit him.

I think he is a lively outsider in the Champion Chase. He was not beaten far last year and basically jumped the last upsides Altior. He comes right at this time of the year.

Mick Pastor - Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle

Mick Pastor joined us in the summer after winning his only start in the spring at Auteuil.

We went to Cheltenham with him in November and he pulled very, very hard. He did not really go in the ground either and it was a bit of a disaster. We found out he had ulcers and treated him for that. He was much more amenable at Ludlow and absolutely bolted in. We have kept him back since.

I have not spoken to [owner] JP McManus’ team, but I suspect he will run in the Boodles. He is a smart young horse and there is quite a lot in front of him yet.

Thyme White - Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle

He was second to Goshen on his debut at Sandown, second at Kempton over Christmas and then won the Musselburgh Triumph Hurdle Trial.

He has a rating of 133 and I think he can do something off that mark. He is progressing and the Boodles is a race we have done well in. I would think this lad will have a leading chance. He is a proper horse who will make a lovely chaser one day.

Frodon - Ryanair Chase

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Frodon did not have an ideal preparation before Christmas. He ran in the Old Roan under top weight in preparation for the Betfair Chase and they took all the fences out. He then completely under performed in the Betfair, about the only time he has run disappointingly for us, so Clifford [Baker] scoped him and found out he had grade four ulcers. Grade four is as bad as it gets. We got them cleared up and then tuned him up for Kempton. I thought he’d win and he did quite nicely.

He has improved a lot since and worked very well with Clan Des Obeaux recently at Wincanton.

He loves this time of the year and is back where he wants to be. He loves the New Course at Cheltenham and I think he will run very well again.

Solo - Triumph Hurdle

Solo is the highest-rated novice hurdler in Britain after his win at Kempton. He is a beautiful horse and is probably the only colt still running over hurdles at the moment.

He is by Kapgarde, who is the sire of Clan des Obeaux, and we bought him as a future chaser. He is a great model from a great family. On his debut at Auteuil, he finished second to a horse called Stratagem that we have and then improved enormously on his next run, winning by 15 lengths.

Cheltenham Festival through the years - In pictures

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After that, we bought him and have been delighted with him from day one. He is a big tank of thing who takes loads of work. We love what we saw from him heading to Kempton. He gave us that wow factor there and we realised just what we have on our hands.

He has a mark of 157, which is not far off some of the horses in the Champion Hurdle. It would be interesting in that with an 8lb four-year-old allowance, but he will run in the Triumph Hurdle. That's his job and he should go very, very well.

Sir Psycho - Triumph Hurdle

We thought he was our main Triumph contender until Solo came out. He has progressed really well from a slow start. He was a bit of a jack the lad to start with at home, but he is doing everything right now.

At Exeter on New Year's Day, he won an all-aged novices' hurdle by 36 lengths and to make sure that was not a fluke we went off to Haydock for the Victor Ludorum, and he absolutely hosed in again. He has a mark of 146, which puts him right up there with the top juveniles.

A fast-run race will suit, and he will gallop up the hill. Whether he is in the mould of Solo, I would say probably not on what I have seen, but he will give a great account of himself.

Quel Destin - County Handicap Hurdle

Quel Destin was second in a bit of an odd running of the National Spirit Hurdle at Fontwell last time.

I have often thought he was a horse who keeps a bit for himself and on a couple of occasions I have very nearly put cheekpieces on him. I wish I did at Fontwell last time because he went to the front, hung a bit and pulled himself up, and sort of threw the race away.

He is in the County Hurdle off top weight and if it came up testing, with the weights being so condensed and Bryan Carver claiming 5lb, it may be worth looking at. The race would suit him and he likes Cheltenham. If not, he will go to Sandown on the last day of the season and then onto Auteuil for the Prix La Barka.

Clan Des Obeaux - Gold Cup

Clan Des Obeaux recorded a success even more emphatic than last year's win
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Clan Des Obeaux looks absolutely fantastic in his coat and has had a great preparation. We are coming in with a different preparation this year because we have worked out that he is best when fresh. He is only eight and is bound to have improved. I think he is in as good a shape as he has ever been.

He ran well in last year's Gold Cup and was bang there jumping the last. He did not quite finish off his race and I think that was down to a few things, the preparation being one of them. We rode him to the fore last year whereas this year I think we will ride him with more restraint. I think the key is that he is a year older and comes in off a different preparation.

He is very effective when he is very fit and very fresh - I think he is lethal on those terms. I think he is my best chance of the week.

Greaneteen - Grand Annual Handicap Chase

Greaneteen has won all three of his starts over fences, having won two over hurdles last year.

He is now rated 150 and, although he is in the Racing Post Arkle Novices’ Chase as well, I think that is a tough race. If we thought he could win an Arkle, he should go very well in a Grand Annual off of 150. He is one of the favourites and a fast-run race will suit.

The idea would be Cheltenham and then onto Aintree for the Grade 1 novices’ chase.