It was largely a festival to forget for Paul Nicholls, who went 0-15 at the Cheltenham Festival last week. Four of his runners were pulled up, including the Turners favourite No Drama This End.
Nothing went right for the son of Walk In The Park, who was one of a frustratingly large number of horses hampered at the start. Having failed to regain a prominent position, he was always poorly placed throughout and met multiple passages of trouble.
Speaking to the Racing Post, Nicholls said his chances: “went up in smoke straight away.
“If they had all gone the first time, he’d have been all right. But then you have a cold start and he missed it. He clipped heels, went inside and it didn’t happen. He was still going okay at the top of the hill but had nowhere to go. We’ve just got to put it behind us and move forward.
Nicholls continued that in hindsight, stepping up in trip to the Albert Bartlett may have been a wiser option. “If I’d have seen the weather forecast I could have run him on Friday in the Albert Bartlett. Which would have suited him better in the end. It’s all ifs and buts, but you don’t become a bad horse overnight. He’s come back fine, there’s not a scratch on him and he’s eaten everything up. He’ll have one more run over hurdles and then he’ll go chasing in the autumn.
“I wouldn’t mind going three miles with him at Aintree, but it would depend on the ground. If it was soft or testing we’d go two and a half miles. Obviously we’ve got to make sure they’re all all right, but he hasn’t had a race.”
Tutti Quanti foreshadowed a luckless week
The writing was very much set on the wall for Paul Nicholls after Tutti Quanti failed to justify his supplementary fee. The William Hill Handicap Hurdle winner briefly planed himself at the tape, and looked reluctant throughout. “He’s never thought about doing anything like that, so what got into him I don’t know,” stated Nicholls.
“The options with him are Ayr for the Scottish Champion Hurdle or the Aintree Hurdle. I’ve always thought he’d like two-and-a-half miles there, but he’d want a bit of cut in the ground. It was probably a bit quick for him the other day, even if he had jumped off with them.”
Quebecois a potential Scottish National horse
Ultima Handicap Chase third Quebecois was Nicholls closest chance of a winner as he put in an excellent prominent round of jumping. Paul Nicholls’ first of three Scottish Grand National’s came in 1997, and Quebecois may bid to give him a fourth. “Quebecois will go to Ayr. He’ll have an entry in the Scottish National and he’d like good ground. He’ll also have an entry in the valuable novice handicap chase that day. He has to go left-handed.”