Trainer Paul Nicholls says Bravemansgame can follow legend Denman’s route to Cheltenham success

PAUL Nicholls believes Bravemansgame is in the perfect position to emulate the legendary Denman by landing Grade One novice chase honours at the Cheltenham Festival.

It was after the seven-year-old romped home in the 2020 Challow Novices’ Hurdle at Newbury that the 12-times champion trainer first mentioned the £370,000 purchase in the same breath as the great Denman.

Like Denman who ultimately won the 2008 Gold Cup, Bravemansgame had to make do with minor honours on his first visit to the Festival in last year’s Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle, finishing third behind the impressive Bob Olinger.

Now he will now bid to emulate the one-time Nicholls star by landing the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase (formerly the RSA) on Wednesday week.

The mount of Harry Cobden, this eyecatching horse is co-owned by Bryan Drew and John Dance (the latter enjoying multiple Group One success on the Flat with the Karl Burke-trained Laurens).

“When I first compared him to Denman, he’d just won the Challow, as Denman had,” said Nicholls. “He’s rated higher now than Denman was after he won the RSA in 2007. There’s a lot of similarities in terms of what they’ve done, but you can’t compare generations really.

“He can only beaten what’s put in front of him. It doesn’t mean that one is better than the other, but he’s certainly gone the right way anyway.

“Denman probably never had as much boot as this horse. He was an out-and-out galloper and stayer, whereas this horse has plenty of speed. He’s just a lovely horse who has that class. We don’t need to make comparisons with anything else, we’ll see what the future brings.”

Bravemansgame has been foot-perfect in winning each of his four starts over fences to date. Victories at Newton Abbot and Haydock were followed by Grade One success at Kempton on Boxing Day – and then a fine win in a Newbury prep race when conceding weight to his rivals.

His potential rivals at Cheltenham include Lucinda Russell’s Ahoy Senor, whom he readily swept aside at Kempton over Christmas, and the Willie Mullins-trained Galopin Des Champs.

Mullins has suggested he is favouring the shorter Turners’ Novices’ Chase in the Cotswolds, however. “Bravemansgame is a fantastic looking horse and has done everything right,” Nicholls added.

“We got well and truly put in our place last year by Bob Olinger, but he still ran well. He’s won four from four this season and is now rated 164, which is a high mark for a novice.

“Nobody knows what is going to turn up, but he’ll run in the three-mile race unless it was really attractional. If it got heavy we might think about the shorter race.

“If a horse like Galopin Des Champs turns up of course you’d be nervous, but we’re going into it with a stronger horse than we had last year and he keeps winning - he’s a lovely horse with a lovely chance.”

Meanwhile Emma Lavelle is hopeful Paisley Park can regain his crown in the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle.

The much-loved bay has been a constant presence in the division since the 2018-19 season, when he was unbeaten in five runs and capped a superb term with victory at the Festival in the long-distance hurdle highlight.

The following campaign he was unable to hold on to his title after finishing seventh behind Lisnagar Oscar when suffering from a later-diagnosed heart issue.

His 2021 Festival run ended in a third-placed finish behind Flooring Porter and he began the current campaign with a third place finish in the bet365 Hurdle at Wetherby, the Long Distance Hurdle and the Long Walk Hurdle.

A return to Cheltenham for the Cleeve Hurdle, an event he had won twice previously, ended in a dramatic triumph as he looked ready to refuse to start as the tapes went up but was eventually cajoled by Aidan Coleman and remarkably inched his way into the race to prevail by three and a quarter lengths.

Next week he will head back to his favourite track in a bid reassert himself at the head of the staying hierarchy. “Touch wood he’s in really good form, he’s done everything we could have wanted from him up until this point,” said Lavelle.

Meanwihe Ryedale jockey Jamie Hamilton’s return from injury saw the rider win at Sedgefield on Sunday before landing yesterday’s feature chase at Wetherby on Buster Valentine for trainer Mark Walford.