Nicholls Upbeat Despite Defeat

Paul Nicholls has given Victor Chandler runner-up Twist Magic a clean bill of health following his shock defeat and maintains the very testing ground was to blame.

After finding proven stayer Tamarinbleu 12 lengths too strong at Ascot, the champion trainer was left kicking himself for running him in the heavy conditions.

However, Nicholls is hoping his six-year-old can set the record straight in the Queen Mother Champion Chase, for which he can now be backed at 9-4 with a variety of firms.

'He's come back fine and he obviously just got a bit tired in the ground,' Nicholls said.

'We'll go straight to Cheltenham with him now and we'll just hope the ground is better there.

'I thought I might be doing wrong yesterday and I was kicking myself last night. I was wishing I hadn't run him and I blame myself a bit.

'I was worried, as everyone knows, before the Tingle Creek. He won that on soft but the ground wasn't as bad as it was yesterday.

'It's never so bad down the back straight at Sandown, whereas it was a stiff track on Saturday and he just didn't get home.

'He's a better horse on better ground and I've always tried to save him for that, that's what I'll do from now.

'We just got outstayed and we now know it was an error to run. We won't do it again but he's fine and we'll look to Cheltenham.'

(C) PA Sport