'We are going into this race hoping we can win' - Paul Nicholls on Tuesday's Cheltenham runners

Day two of the Cheltenham Festival could be a fruitful one for Betfair Ambassador and 14-time champion trainer Paul Nicholls. He talks through his day two Cheltenham Festival runners.

13:20: Turners Novices’ Hurdle - No Drama This End /h2>

When you have a stable star running at the Cheltenham Festival, as I do on Wednesday with No Drama This End, you want them to do well because you have great belief in them.

No Drama This End has had a good preparation for the Festival, he seems very well and he has won three from three against English horses. Now we will see how he performs against Irish horses. There are two in the race that are rated higher than him, so he has got to improve again. But he seems very well.

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He won his three races in the autumn. He surprised us the first day at Cheltenham in November, when we thought he might need the run, and that was when he showed us what a smart horse he is.

Then he ran in the winter hurdle at Sandown, he won that very nicely and then we ran him in the Challow and, even though I’m not convinced he was quite at his best that day because it was his third run in quick succession, he won nicely again. We have given him lots of time between then and Cheltenham and we are very happy.

Denman was beaten in this race and look what he achieved afterwards, so it is not the be all and end all, but we have big belief in him and are going into this race hoping we can win. I expect him to be a much better chaser in time over the trip and on the way there you like to keep winning.

No Drama This End
© Healy Racing Photos

But you know what horse racing is like, there are 22 horses declared and a lot of unexposed horses in the race, so we don’t really know the form of a lot them. It is going to be a great race, and we will be doing our best. Act Of Innocence will run very well, especially if the ground dries up, and is definitely the main danger. He’s the second best of the British horses. I don’t know the form of the Irish horses but to be honest we will just do our best on the day.

16:40: Grand Annual Challenge Cup Handicap Chase: Rubaud /h2>

He ran on heavy ground the last day at Wincanton and ran very well against Alexei giving him two pounds. In the Christmas Hurdle, he wasn’t far behind last year’s Champion Hurdle winner, and he won his two earlier in the season, so he has probably been in the form of his life this year.

This is a graded horse going back into a handicap. I know he has probably not got the best handicap mark in the world but he’s a bit better over fences than over hurdles, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he ran a really nice race and was placed.

Majborough is an absolute certainty in the Queen Mother Champion Chase on Wednesday

The Queen Mother Champion Chase is the big race on Wednesday and with Marine Nationale not defending his crown, Majborough is top of the market.

The way Majborough ran at Leopardstown last time, it wouldn’t have mattered if Marine Nationale had run or not on Wednesday as I feel Majborough is an absolute certainty.

He has got to jump round but his jumping at Leopardstown was much more assured the last day. He is older and stronger and wiser and will be very hard to beat.

Majborough is the horse I am most looking forward to seeing but I’m looking forward to watching all the great Cheltenham Festival races on the card on Wednesday.