Nicholls Sweet On Welsh Repeat

Paul Nicholls yesterday nominated L'Aventure and Lou Du Moulin Mas as his best chances of landing an unprecedented third consecutive Coral Welsh National at Chepstow next month.

The champion trainer saddled the first three home, headed by L'Aventure, last year and has eight of the 86 entries for the race on December 27, with Cornish Rebel, My Will, Sleeping Night and Ladalko also possibilities, although Neptune Collonges and Royal Auclair have already been ruled out.

Nicholls said: 'L'Aventure would probably be our number one hope.

'She loves Chepstow and had a run over hurdles there the other day to give her a blow.

'We've kept her fresh for the race and she'll run a huge race. We have purposefully trained her for it ? we have no other plans for her.'

The trainer was also keen on Lou Du Moulin Mas and reported: 'He has been rejuvenated having had a breathing operation during the summer.

'He won over hurdles at Cheltenham when we least expected him to, then won at Newbury on Friday.

'He will be down the lower end of the weight scale, he will love Chepstow, will stay forever and I think he'd have a really good chance.

'It could well be his next start and he could be one of our leading hopes.'

My Will is a less certain starter, having won the Servo Computer Services Trophy at the Paddy Power meeting at Cheltenham.

'He got the three miles and three furlongs well, and stayed on well in the Betfred Gold Cup, so obviously a trip suits him.

'He's a classy horse, but will have a lot of weight and I think it is a hard ask to win the Welsh National with a big weight.

'It can be done, but he's due to go for a #100,000 chase at Cheltenham in a fortnight and we'll leave him in to the end and see how he is.'

Ladalko, beaten just a short head in the Scottish equivalent but a faller on his reappearance at Wincanton, will run at Sandown this weekend and is another possible starter at Chepstow.

'He has the right profile,' said his trainer.

If last year's third Cornish Rebel is to run, it will be with blinkers.

'He was back to his old tricks of pulling himself up in the Hennessy last Saturday,' explained Nicholls. 'He is a character but ran with blinkers on in the Gold Cup, which absolutely transformed him.

'He'll have them on again and is capable of running a huge race.'

Nicholls has also the 2005 Cheltenham Foxhunter winner Sleeping Night, who has been plagued by injury, although he would not run if the ground was too soft.

The grey Neptune Collonges, winner of Saturday's Rehearsal Chase at Chepstow, had been priced up by Coral as 7-1 joint-favourite along with Halcon Genelardais but Nicholls said: 'He won't end up running. After Saturday he will go up in the weights, it's going to be soft and it would be asking plenty of him. He's more likely to wait for something like the Pillar Chase at Cheltenham.

'Royal Auclair won't run as he wouldn't want soft ground and has just had a soft palate operation.'

? PA Sport