SPEAKING about his team for this year’s meeting at his Manor House Farm Stables in Somerset at a media visit Nicholls said: “It’s a nice team and I think we’ll probably have 15-16 runners during the week. I’d say the last two years we were very quiet – I think two years ago I watched the Supreme in the pub! We’re getting a nice team of horses together and not just for Cheltenham but for the next few years, which is really nice. The betting says Hermes Allen is my best chance if you look at that, but who knows. It’s incredibly hard to win races there but I think Bravemansgame has got as good a chance as anything going there.”

Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle

Tahmuras looks fantastic and he’s won three from three this year for the Noel Fehily Racing Club and he’s surprised us a bit to be honest with you. He won his bumper at Wincanton last March and we thought he was a nice horse who’d go on and win races, but we never thought we’d be going for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham with him. He’s won three from three and that puts him right into the mix in a very open race.

Ultima Handicap Chase

Threeunderthrufive has probably got a nice chance in the Ultima, which his owner Max McNeill sponsors. He won four novice chases last year and was in a mark of the 150s which I thought was too high. I think he’s still got it all to do at the weights but having said that he won at Cheltenham last year (at the 2021 November Meeting) and he likes nice ground, so he’s definitely not without a chance.

Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle

It’s been a bit of a rush to get Afadil ready, but he won at Taunton first time and then he went up to Musselburgh and won a listed race on his second start. I ran him at Haydock last week as to run in the Boodles (Fred Winter) you have to have a third run under your belt to be eligible - even if you have a mark. We’ve got a couple of weeks now to decide whether we go and if we don’t go we’ll go to the juvenile novice handicap at Ascot a couple of weeks after that.

I just need to see if I can get him back to his best form now. It’s all been a little bit rushed for him so we’ll see.

Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle

We didn’t run Hermes Allen, last spring because he was quite backward and he surprised me when he won first time out at Stratford. He went to Cheltenham and then Newbury and won very nicely both times after that, so he’s been great. It was very soft at Newbury last time which I didn’t think he’d want but he was about the only one who went through it. I think every horse in behind him has won since so it’s turned out to be a very good race.

He’s probably got the best chance of our horses if you go solely off the market because he’s favourite but I don’t look at the betting. There are so many good horses around and some will improve and some will underperform so it’s a very competitive race. He’s done really well so far so hopefully he’ll go very close. It’s not the be all and end all as he’ll be a lovely chaser next year but he’s in a lovely place at the moment.

Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase

Stage Star has been a grand horse this year. He was a Grade One winner over hurdles in the Challow last year at Newbury and he’s been a great servant novice chasing this year. He’s in the Turners and the Brown Advisory and we’ll just see what the ground does.

He’s going to run in one or the other and if the ground was really good I wouldn’t be afraid to go for the Brown as I think he’ll get three miles as he was staying on well last time. If it’s on the slower side we’ll go for the Turners so we’ll make a plan nearer the time. He’s a progressive horse and he did really nicely at Cheltenham, but they’re good races.”

Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle

Irish Hill won at Ascot recently and he’s been really progressive for us. He’s got an entry in the Martin Pipe and the Coral. He’ll definitely get in the former whereas it will be tight for the Coral – I think on last year’s weights he’d be just on the limit of getting in. If he can get in the Coral he’ll go there as Harry (Cobden) will ride him, otherwise he’ll go for the Martin Pipe.

He was ok last year but those four year olds just take a little bit of time sometimes and he’s taken a huge step forward this year and he’s made up into a really nice horse now.

Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase

Greaneteen is a three-time Grade One winner at Sandown and he’s won two Haldon Gold Cups for us. He ran at Newbury in the Game Spirit Chase and was beaten as a red-hot favourite so he’s gone from about 12-1 to 33-1 for the Champion Chase, but two years ago he did the exact same thing there in the same race. The ground was far too firm to be honest and he’s actually going up to Lambourn tomorrow to do a piece of work with Thyme White.

When we ran in the Haldon Gold Cup we had him really ready to win and the other day he wasn’t. It was a prep for Cheltenham and it doesn’t work doing it with him like that. He’ll come on a tonne for that run and it’ll be no surprise to me if he runs really well in the Queen Mother and finishes third or fourth.

I’m not saying he’ll win the Champion Chase but he’s very capable of running a tidy race. Cheltenham suits him better than Newbury and he’ll give a good account of himself before he goes to the Celebration Chase at Sandown on the last day of the season – on a track which for whatever reason he absolutely loves.

Johnny Henderson Grand

Annual Handicap Chase

Thyme White is always brilliant fresh and lets you down second time! He ran very well at Ascot in October, he travelled beautifully in a valuable handicap and absolutely bolted in. He was then favourite for the £100,000 race at Ascot three weeks later and didn’t go at all. He’s obviously at his best fresh so I thought we’d have one go at the Grand Annual with him fresh.

He hasn’t run since so we’ll give him an away day tomorrow at Lambourn with Greneteen and then he’ll go for Cheltenham. He’s a few pounds higher than he was last year but he goes there with a chance. You need everything to drop right for you in those races but we’ve won it enough times with this type of horse and we’re hoping that the fact that we’ve kept him fresh will work out.

Weatherbys Champion Bumper

Captain Teague is going to have an entry in the Champion Bumper. He won a point to point in Ireland last year very impressively and we took him to Plumpton just before Christmas in a bumper and he hosed in. I’m not saying he’s going to win the Champion Bumper or anything like that, but we’re running out of options to give him a run this season before he goes hurdling next year. You know the ground is going to be safe at Cheltenham and on that early part of the week it’ll probably be good to soft.It’s a chance for him to have a day out and get some more experience and if we finish fifth or sixth with him we’ll be absolutely delighted.

He’ll be a lovely horse to go novice hurdling next year, he’ll be one of our better horses hopefully. He’s unbeaten and a lovely youngster, we probably don’t wind them up quite as much for bumpers as the Irish, if anything wins a bumper over there they all want to run in the Champion Bumper whereas it’s not such a big thing for us. If he was an Irish horse, he’d probably be 10/1 and because he’s an English horse he’ll probably be 25/1! That’s just the way it is, but he’s a lovely horse and one for the future.”

Ryanair Chase

Hitman runs in the Ryanair and was second in the Denman Chase the other day, when he quite blatantly didn’t get three miles. Middle distances are ideal for him and he started off his season really well, he carried top weight in the Old Roan (at Aintree) and got beaten a head (by Riders Onthe Storm) before winning well at Haydock. He went to Kempton and didn’t jump particularly well in the King George and then he ran much better in the Denman at Newbury in a really fast run race.

He’s the type of horse who could run really well in a Ryanair and he’s always there or thereabouts. He hasn’t won that often but he’s always running in these good races and jumps really tidy, so he’s a horse who could easily run into a place. The trip suits him nicely and they always say the Ryanair cuts up but it will still take a lot of winning. If Shishkin runs like he did at Ascot the other day, he’ll win. I thought he was unbelievable as I thought that Pic D’Orhy would win the Ascot Chase. Shishkin was just brilliant and Pic D’Orhy probably ran a career best to finish second – so if Shishkin is in the same form everyone else will be going for places. Hitman is one who will jump well and travel well and he’ll be right in the mix.”

Magners Plate Handicap Chase

Il Ridoto won the handicap on Trials Day really nicely when first-time cheekpieces did the trick. I just thought he’d been keeping a bit to himself and running a bit green. He might well have won one of those nicer handicaps earlier in the season at Cheltenham if he hadn’t have missed the last on both days. We rode him nice and positive under those cheekpieces and he jumped brilliant and stayed on strongly. He went up 8lbs for that but I still think he’s got room to go well off that mark. I think next year he’s a horse who could end up running in a Ryanair Chase. He runs in the Plate and he’s got a leading chance. He loves Cheltenham and he’s a young horse who’s improving, so there’s plenty to come from him over the next few years. He’s qualified for the Topham Chase so he could go for that – we’ll see what happens.

Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle

Stay Away Fay is not that far behind Hermes Allen, he’s just had one run less. He won his point to point in Ireland and won nicely at Newbury in November. He runs in the Albert Bartlett and I think there’s a lot to come from this horse. He stays and he gallops and with a bit more luck in running he’d have probably won last time – it was just one that got away. He’s a nice horse though and just lacks a little bit of experience. I’d have liked to have given him one more run, but it just hasn’t worked out that way.

The horse he beat in his point to point (Monty’s Star) beat the favourite for the Albert Bartlett at Clonmel earlier this month (Hiddenvalley Lake). He’s 25/1 and I think he’s one of the best priced outsiders we’ve got and I think there’s a lot to come from him.

Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup

Bravemansgame has done nothing wrong this year. I didn’t make the same mistake of running him in between Kempton and Cheltenham as he’s brilliant fresh and very fit. I think he probably is my best chance since Kauto Star and it’s a plan we’ve always had for him. In the Gold Cup you’ll turn in and there will be five or six in the mix and the best horse on the day will win, so you just don’t know until then.

I don’t know how he’ll get up that hill and nobody knows but it was the same with Kauto Star, we didn’t know whether he was going to get three and a quarter miles as he was only running at Kempton but he did. We’ll see, but I think he’s in great shape and he’s in a great place so I think he’s got a lovely chance.

Galopin Des Champs is probably the one we’ve all got to beat but it’s the Gold Cup and you’ve got to beat everyone in that race. There are some excellent horses in this year’s race, but he’s in the mix. I think he’s the best staying chaser in England and he’s proven that and now he’s got to go and run the biggest race of his life.I think he might well be underestimated in the market. He doesn’t know what price he is and it’s irrelevant what price he goes off, he’s done everything right so far and we’re really happy with him.

St James’s Place Festival Hunters’ Chase

Secret Investor runs in the St James Palace and he will be ridden by Natalie (Parker) who won on him at Bangor. His owner Clive Hitchings has always been a big fan of hunter chases and point to point races. He said to see if we could get him qualified and to give him a couple of years in this sphere and that’s what we’re doing.

It gives him a new career and he’s won two hunter chases so far and both times he’s been dropped 7lbs! He’s at a more realistic mark now, he’s done all of his winning and running in top-class races but this gives him a second life.

He’s qualified for that and hopefully he’ll give Nat a great ride. He’s been a good horse and hopefully he’ll be right in the mix.