Nicholls declares himself happy for Walsh to stick with Silviniaco Conti

Racing’s rising star, who won Haydock’s prestigious Betfair Chase after his Wetherby triumph, is set to reappear in next month’s Denman Chase at Newbury where Long Run, the 2011 Gold Cup hero, could be a contender.

However, champion trainer Paul Nicholls expects Walsh to ride Silviniaco Conti at Cheltenham in March rather than stablemate Tidal Bay, who has been a revelation this season since recapturing past form in the John Smith’s Hurdle on Charlie Hall day at Wetherby.

The Ladbrokes World Hurdle is still a possibility for Tidal Bay, says Nicholls, who also revealed that leading RSA Chase contender Rocky Creek is not certain to make the trip to the Cheltenham Festival.

Second to Harry Topper on his chasing debut at Exeter in October, the seven-year-old was then an impressive winner at Doncaster before triumphing at Warwick 10 days ago under Grand National-winning jockey Daryl Jacob.

He is 10-1 third favourite behind David Pipe’s Dynaste for the major prize for staying novice chasers at Cheltenham, but Nicholls already has one eye on next season.

“Rocky Creek travelled and won really impressively at Warwick, and he will obviously be given an entry in the Sun Alliance (RSA),” said the handler

“I view Rocky Creek as very much a horse for next season, and I am already looking forward to the Hennessy with him. So I wouldn’t mind missing Cheltenham with him, like we did with Silviniaco Conti last year, and going to Aintree.

“But obviously nothing will be decided until I sit down with Andy Stewart and David Johnson (owners), though I think a race such as the Reynoldstown at Ascot could be an option for his next start.

“Wherever he goes next, and whatever he does this season though, he is a proper horse for the future.”

One Nicholls-trained horse for whom Cheltenham is very much on the agenda is Fago, a French recruit who is being targeted at the Arkle Trophy following his impressive British debut at Newbury earlier this week.

“I was also delighted with Fago at Newbury and the Arkle has to be on the agenda for him now, although he will also be entered in the Jewson,” said Nicholls.

“He had a hard race over two miles and six furlongs on his final start in France in November, so we have taken our time with him. And he has put on a whole heap of weight since he came to us, about 30 kilograms.

“So you had to be impressed with his win at Newbury, where he jumped beautifully on the whole.

“I don’t want to get carried away or start making wild comparisons, but he is similar to Master Minded in that we have stepped him down in trip since getting him from France. And he looked to have all the speed in the world at Newbury.

“He could go to the Kingmaker at Warwick or Sandown next, before any firm Cheltenham plans are made for him.”

His upbeat assessment followed news that his longstanding assistant Dan Skelton is to leave the Ditcheat yard after nine years to become a fully fledged trainer in his own right.

Skelton has been granted planning permission to build stabling, and an all-weather gallop, at the Warwickshire farm owned by his father Nick – the legendary Olympic gold medal-winning showjumper.

“I hope I can do justice to the training and education that I have received from Paul,” said Skelton.

Nicholls wished Skelton all the best for the future and named pupil assistant Tom Jonason as his successor.

Skelton was among those who were instrumental in the record-breaking career of Kauto Star, twice a Gold Cup winner.

Owner Clive Smith’s horse of a lifetime is now adapting to a new career in dressage after leaving the Nicholls stable in the most acrimonious of circumstances.

Smith wanted to keep Kauto Star active in retirement and Laura Collett, one of the country’s leading eventers, is delighted with the progress that her new mount has made in a matter of weeks.

Citing the horse’s intelligence and calm temperament, she added: “People trying to belittle the dressage discipline are very small-minded.

“Yes, it’s very different to racing, but if the horse is happy, why shouldn’t he have the chance to do something else? Otherwise, he would be bored.”

“Horses are very quick at telling you if they don’t want to do something. There’s no way of making them do anything they don’t want

“What he’s found hardest and what’s going to take him longest is how to do a steady canter because he’s only ever known gallops.”

n All-weather racing is, again, failing to live up to its name in the current bad weather – three out of four fixtures over the weekend were abandoned and today’s cards and Wolverhampton must pass inspections.

As for turf action, Wetherby and Leicester have already called off tomorrow’s cards while Lingfield’s AW card must pass an inspection this afternoon.

Catterick, meanwhile, seems extremely unlikely to race on Wednesday and Thursday’s meeting at Fakenham is already in jeopardy.

Officials at Ayr are still confident of holding a substitute meeting on Wednesday that was instigated by West Witton trainer Ferdy Murphy while Doncaster will issue an update today on prospects for its two-day Sky Bet Chase meeting that is due to begin on Friday.

One possible runner in Saturday’s highlight is Lucinda Russell’s stable star Bold Sir Brian who had been due to run the Peter Marsh Chase at Haydock on Saturday, another weather casualty.

The seven-year-old is a live outsider for the Cheltenham Gold Cup and will either reappear on Town Moor, or at Cheltenham’s Festival Trials Day on the same afternoon.

“We don’t know what meetings are going to be on so we’ll have a look at the weather and the entries and then make a decision,” said Russell.

The trainer, based in Tayside, Scotland, also confirmed fellow Peter Marsh hope Silver By Nature, sidelined by injury since running in the 2011 Grand National, is now likely to head for the Sky Bet Chase.

n In-form jockey Aidan Coleman believes Katenko has the capability to make an impression in the Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup.

On just his third outing since joining trainer Venetia Williams from France, Coleman helped the gelding to an impressive victory in a handicap chase at Sandown on January 5.

He was entered in the ultimately abandoned Peter Marsh Chase at Haydock at the weekend and Coleman believes he could appear at one of the forthcoming big Saturday cards instead.

“Hopefully, I will be part of the Gold Cup, too,” Coleman told Racing UK.

“The owner of Katenko is keen to go that route and if he keeps improving the way he has so far in his three races in the UK, he could be a live outsider.

“I do genuinely think he could be a Grand National horse as he ticks all the boxes, so perhaps he might line up at Aintree next year, but there’s a lot of water to pass under the bridge first.”

Long Run’s gold cup bid needs ‘concentration’

LONG Run is likely to wear cheekpieces when he attempts to regain his crown in the Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup in March.

Owner Robert Waley-Cohen said the application of that type of headgear to improve concentration was “under serious consideration” for the eight-year-old, who was victorious in the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day for a second time.

The eight-year-old, trained by Nicky Henderson, is 7-1 third favourite to land the blue riband race which he won in 2011.

Waley-Cohen reports Long Run to have taken his Christmas exertions very well, but that the eight-year-old’s Gold Cup preparation remains fluid. Twelve months ago, he won the Betfair Denman Chase at Newbury on the road to Cheltenham.

“I think he’s come out of the race better than we expected and is in good order,” said Waley-Cohen.

“He was slightly less than 100 per cent last year. He has regained his mojo. We are thinking whether to run him before the Gold Cup – with this snow it’s hard to make any decisions. There’s the Denman Chase. He won it last year and broke the track record.”

Oscar Time, runner-up to Ballabriggs in the 2011 Grand National, will reappear in the Bobbjyo Chase at Fairyhouse on February 23 before a return to Aintree.

Injury prevented him from going to Merseyside last season and his build-up to April’s renewal suffered a blip when Oscar Time unseated owner Waley-Cohen’s son, Sam, at Thurles last Thursday.

“We are planning to go to the Bobbyjo Chase.

“That race has become the established Irish trial for the Grand National,” said the owner.

National weights will be published on February 12, nearly a fortnight before the Bobbyjo race which celebrates the 1999 Aintree hero who was ridden by Paul Carberry for his trainer father Tommy.