YOU have to start your analysis of the Badger Beers Silver Trophy with Paul Nicholls. The Ditcheat trainer has won the last three renewals of the race, and five of the last 10 and, if Southfield Theatre hadn’t fallen at the final fence in 2016, he would have had the last four and six of the last 10.

He doesn’t make it easy this year by fielding three. Present Man and Bryony Frost are back again, back in the race that they won in 2017 and in 2018 and, although Present Man was pulled up in the race last year, he is back down to a mark of 146 now, which is just 2lb higher than the mark off which he won it two years ago. Also, he goes into the race on the back of a victory at Chepstow on his seasonal debut, his first run since he was pulled up in the race last year.