Nicholls has confidence in Silviniaco Conti’s bid

An imposing victory in West Yorkshire last November, the seven-year-old then beat Long Run in the Grade One Betfair Chase at Haydock before returning from a mid-season lay-off to win at Newbury last month.

In the past, great horses like Jimmy Fitzgerald’s Forgive ‘N’ Forget, Jenny Pitman’s Burrough Hill Lad and See More Business, Nicholls’s first Gold Cup winner back in 1999, have won at Wetherby after conquering Cheltenham’s unique undulations.

Yet a bullish Nicholls is unperturbed as he seeks a fifth Gold Cup win in the race.

With Ruby Walsh, the man who guided Kauto Star to two Gold Cups, in the saddle, the trainer also says that Silviniaco Conti’s lack of winning form at Cheltenham – he has only raced once at the track – should not deter punters.

“He has done incredibly well this season. He got beat at Ascot last season and was not right when the horses were coughing. We thought we were not going to Cheltenham with him and went to Aintree instead. He won nicely,” explained Nicholls.

“This year he won the Charlie Hall, the Betfair Chase from Long Run and then the he had his prep race at Newbury which he won nicely. We had left plenty to work on and the ground was testing – I was nervous that he was going to get a bit tired but he stayed on strongly. He has progressed nicely, done everything right and come out of Newbury well.

“He jumps well and I keep reading that he cannot win at Cheltenham because he has not won at Cheltenham. We have not avoided Cheltenham with him. He ran in The International over hurdles and ran incredibly well for a three-mile horse against a lot of two-milers.

“My view is that the three novices from last season – Bob’s Worth, Silviniaco Conti and Sir Des Champs might be the three – Long Run obviously you can never rule out because he has been such a good horse.

“Any Gold Cup is hard to win but we think we are going there with a nice chance. He is workmanlike and does the job right – we have a chance of winning.”