Nicholls can unearth another Winter star in Brave Kingdom

Ballymore Winter Novices’ Hurdle

2.25 Sandown, 2m4f Grade 2 The ITV cameras will be at day one of the Tingle Creek meeting, which is a real treat for terrestrial TV viewers.

The highlight will be the Grade 2 Winter Novices’ Hurdle. It’s a race Paul Nicholls has won on four occasions with the likes of See More Business, Neptune Collonges and, most recently, Enrilo.

Nicholls currently has two of the first three in the betting, with both of his entries, Brave Kingdom and Mr Glass having won their last six races between them.

Mr Glass won in a snow storm at Newcastle last weekend to make it two out of two over hurdles. He could go again, but it’s more likely Nicholls’ Brave Kingdom will be the 12-time champion trainer’s contender here.

A winner of his bumper by four and a quarter lengths, he looked a much better horse on the back of a wind op at Chepstow on his hurdles debut this autumn, running out a ready winner.

What that form amounts to is open to debate, but he looks a very similar type to Bravemansgame being by the same sire, Brave Mansonnien, and he will relish the likely soft ground.

Of the others to consider, Fair Frontieres had reasonable form in Ireland and was a wide-margin winner at Worcester last time. More taking was the performance of Lossiemouth, who positively thrived in the first-time blinkers at Ffos Las, winning by ten lengths.

1. BRAVE KINGDOM 2. Lossiemouth 3. Fair Frontieres Shang Tang 1.50 Sandown, 2m4f novice handicap chase

As many as 26 have been entered for this contest at the five-day stage, and with rain about this week hopefully we will get a decent field.

Currently heading the market is Seven No Trumps, who gets in here with a 7lb penalty for a very easy success at Lingfield last week. The four-and-a-quarter-length winning margin could easily have been doubled by jockey Harry Skelton that day, and the handicapper will surely raise his mark further in future.

However, this contest is much stronger. Stablemate Beakstown is very well treated on old form. You’ve also got the four-year-old Il Ridoto with a 7lb penalty for his recent Newbury success, and my selection, Shan Tang.

Emma Lavelle’s seven-yearold is somewhat of a curate’s egg. At times he has looked very good, while on other occasions he has flopped badly.

His winning chase debut at Newton Abbot was one of his better days, where he warmed to his task. It looked from that evidence as if there’ll be plenty more improvement to come in his jumping and that could start here.

Best alternative: Beakstown

Boagrius

3.00 Sandown, 1m7½f handicap chase

Tom George has had a much better time of things so far this season, and he did well with his runners this summer.

Boagrius didn’t win in that period, but he did put up some decent performances in defeat, notably when second at Bangor when last seen in July.

The nine-year-old returns here on the same mark, and he has fared well after a long break in the past. A look at his official rating from 12 months ago (127) suggests he is now on the decline off 12lb lower, yet his RPRs have remained steady with his most recent figure just 3lb off a career best.

The downside is his age – he’ll be ten in the new year – and one of the younger entries could provide a decent alternative. One True King and Gunsight Ridge would be two I’d pick out. The latter already looks like he might be a good deal better over fences than he was over hurdles.

Best alternative: Gunsight Ridge

Take Your Time 3.35 Sandown, 2m7½f handicap hurdle

I’m always keen to take on the topweights in these Pertemps qualifiers. In the old days, when you only had to run to ink your name in for the final at the festival, I was dead against them.

To qualify now you have to finish pretty well in the money if not better, but the incentive still remains far stronger for the lighter-weighted runners, as they will almost certainly need to win in order to get into the handicap, and most likely the final field, come March.

That’s why Take Your Time (10st 3lb) interests me and Call Me Lord (11st 11lb) doesn’t. The former was really impressive in winning a Class 3 at Ffos Las in October, running away from a good yardstick in Eyeofthescorpion with the pair 26 lengths clear.

Eyeofthescorpion did the form no harm when third in a hot heat at Newbury last week, and the selection is only having to contend with a 6lb rise.

Seddon, who seemed to be finding his feet for new trainer Harry Whittington when winning at Lingfield last time, is next best.

Best alternative: Seddon

Champagnesuperover 2.05 Exeter, 2m3f novice chase

Pic D’Orhy was going like a winner when falling at Newbury last time, and trainer Paul Nicholls could send him out again here to make amends. Were he to run, he’d likely be a strong favourite, but I’m not sure we’ll see him.

There are lots of nice youngsters in this and I’m a particular fan of Champagnesuperover, who may have finished last in a 2m graduation chase at Carlisle last time, but he wasn’t beaten far behind more experienced rivals and galloped to the line. More importantly, he showed there that he could jump, and Olly Murphy’s six-year-old has a proper future.

He caught my eye when seventh in last season’s Albert Bartlett in which he travelled well for a long way.

Champagnesuperover could take his chance, although he also has an entry in the novice handicap at Sandown. There are others you could pick out in his absence, including the useful Kid Commando, who seemed to have benefited from a wind op at Ascot last time. Best alternative:

Kid Commando