Nicholls hoping blinkers can spark Bravemansgame improvement

Paul Nicholls is banking on the application of blinkers to reignite the fire in Bravemansgame, as the 14-time champion trainer goes in search of a seventh victory in Saturday’s Betfair Chase at Haydock.

While the Ditcheat handler admits his latest Merseyside challenger is “not in the same league” as his four-time Haydock hero Kauto Star, he perhaps can be compared more favourably to Silviniaco Conti, who first struck Betfair Chase gold in 2012 before regaining his crown two years later.

It is fast approaching two years since Bravemansgame last tasted victory in the King George VI Chase at Kempton and he will make the journey north with something to prove after coming up short in the Charlie Hall at Wetherby for the second consecutive season three weeks ago.

With stable jockey Harry Cobden instead heading to Ascot, Sam Twiston-Davies will partner Bravemansgame for the first time this weekend and the race sponsors rate him as something of an outsider at 14-1 – odds Nicholls feels could be value if the headgear has the desired effect.

“Bryan (Drew) who owns him was quite keen for Sam to ride him, so that’s ideal. Sam has ridden us lots of big winners and it’s good to have him,” he said on a Jockey Club-organised Zoom call on Thursday.

“He’s straightforward to ride and he has blinkers on for the first time. Harry’s thoughts after Wetherby were that some headgear might help him and he’s worked nicely in them and schooled nicely this morning, so we’re hoping that will bring out some improvement in him.”

Kauto Star bounced back from being pulled up in the previous season’s Gold Cup when bringing the house down with a fourth Betfair Chase success in 2011, while Silviniaco Conti was sporting first-time cheekpieces when improving from a Charlie Hall Chase defeat when notching his second win.

Nicholls also points to how much blinkers improved See More Business when he claimed Cheltenham Gold Cup glory in 1999, but he appears more hopeful than confident that Bravemansgame will do the same.

He added: “It’s quite an open race and I’m just hoping the blinkers bring out some improvement in him. I remember when we put them on See More Business for the first time and he actually won the Gold Cup.

“If they just sharpen up Bravemansgame and improve him a little bit, you never know. I do think he’s quite a generous price.

“He’s no Kauto Star. With all respect to Bravemansgame he’s a good horse, but he’s not in the same league as Kauto. He won four Betfair Chases and like all horses he had a few ups and downs in between and when we got him back right he was good.

“Bravemansgame has been running in all the top races and isn’t getting any younger, but he’s working nicely at home and looks fantastic.

“He’s had some hard races ever since he was second in the (2023) Gold Cup and that was one hell of a hard race. Once you’ve had a few hard races and he’s been at the top table for a long time, life doesn’t get any easier.

“His record speaks for itself and he’s won all those good races, but you could say he’s just a little bit below the top grade.”

Although Nicholls would be happy for an ease in conditions at Haydock, which appears almost certain with significant rain forecast for Saturday, he does not want the ground to go too far the other way.

“There is rain forecast and it doesn’t sound like the ground is going to be too bad, but if it was heavy he definitely won’t run. If it’s good to soft or something like that we’ll be there,” he said.

The trainer is keen to get Saturday and a likely third tilt at the King George on Boxing Day out of the way before making firm plans for the rest of the year, but a Grand National challenge has been mooted as a possibility.

He added: “We’ve already discussed it and he will have an entry in the National, but we need to see where his handicap mark lies after his next two runs really.

“The plan is to run here and then go to the King George and he does like Kempton. We’ll make a plan for the spring after that, but I’d be very keen to enter him for the National.”