Nicholls issues Betfred warning David Nicholls says Aidan O'Brien should be worried about Regal Parade in the Betfred Sprint Cup at Haydock on Saturday. The six-year-old Pivotal gelding won last year's Group One contest and bounced right back to form at the top level in the Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville last time. O'Brien's Starspangledbanner is the probable favourite following victories in the Golden Jubilee and July Cup and he now looks likely to line up after impressing his handler in a piece of work on Wednesday morning. However, Nicholls insists his horse has just as good a chance of landing more Group One glory. The North Yorkshire trainer told sportinglife.com: "They'd be as much worried about me as I am about them. "You don't win two Group One races by being a slow donkey. He's the best horse I've got in the yard at the moment. "We didn't pay a lot for him but that's of no importance. We'll have just paid the VAT on Starspangledbanner compared to what we paid for Regal Parade. "If we get beaten, we get beaten, but it won't be because we're not trying our best." The going is currently good, good to soft in places at Haydock and while that would be ideal for Regal Parade, Nicholls is hoping the ground doesn't dry out any further. "One of the biggest factors from his win last year and at Deauville was that he needs a bit of juice in the ground," Nicholls continued. "I wouldn't go as far to say he needs soft conditions but he very much appreciates being able to get his toe in. If it's fast he'll run alright but when he needs to pick them up they run away from him, but when it's good to soft they slow down and he kills them at the end. "He's in good form anyway and we're looking forward to it." Whatever happens this weekend, Nicholls has one more race in mind for Regal Parade this season, at Longchamp on Arc weekend. "After Saturday he'll go back to France for the Prix de la Foret the day before the Arc over seven furlongs. With the ground sure to be soft he'll go there and that'll be it until next season." Regal Parade is 11/4 with Sky Bet for Saturday's Sprint Cup.
