Optimism for Ditcheat's big names

Paul Nicholls has endured a frustrating season with some of the stable's bigger names but the Master of Ditcheat has not lost faith in his stars.

For the second season in succession, Saphir Du Rheu has reverted to hurdles after beginning the campaign over fences and even the return to jumping the smaller obstacles failed to pay dividends when the Hennessy fifth trailed home 31 lengths adrift of Thistlecrack in the Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot.

That performance prompted Nicholls to take remedial action and the Champion Trainer is hopeful that the operation, coupled with better ground, will help the supremely talented seven-year-old to get his career back on track.

"He's had his soft palate cauterised," he revealed.

"Both at Newbury and Ascot he stopped too quickly for my liking. We thought we might as well get it done. I'm sure he wants better ground, he's by Al Namix who tend to, so we've just put a line through what he's done so far this season and hope we get a better performance from him at Cheltenham and in the spring. On better ground I think we'll get a different horse altogether.

"The obvious route at the moment is the World Hurdle - it would be pointless running him in the Gold Cup against those horses in the form that he is in. He was second in the race last year, and I think we'll get a different performance when we get there on better ground."

Saphir Du Rheu is expected to be joined in the Ladbrokes World Hurdle by Aux Ptit Soins, the winner of last season's Coral Hurdle on his debut and, to date, sole start for the stable but it has not been plain sailing with the six-year-old.

"He's a very talented horse," Nicholls told At The Races.

"He's just turned the corner with his problems and he's been back with us a fortnight. He's started two canters every day up the hill. The problem is that there are only eight weeks to go before the World Hurdle and it's going to be a rush to get him there.

"We can give him a couple of racecourse gallops. He's a very clean-winded horse and hopefully we can get him right for it, but there are a couple of opportunities after Cheltenham and I have said to John [Hales] we could look at the French Champion Hurdle at Auteuil. He won't be far off being right for Cheltenham but I've only got eight weeks and that isn't ideal.

"You have to crack on. It's not like he is just coming out of a field. He's had some exercise on a water treadmill with Lisa Hales - actually, I think it was Clare Dyson who did that - so we're not starting with him from out of a field, but he has had two lots of surgery in the autumn - one on the tooth and one on his sinuses - which hasn't helped. We are up against a bit, but if any horse could do it he probably could."

Dodging Bullets is another of last year's Cheltenham Festival heroes to have failed to make it to the track this season but the Champion Chase winner is pleasing his trainer who believes he has every chance of retaining his crown.

"Dodging Bullets is in great shape. He's working hard and he's set to run in the Game Spirit and then go to Cheltenham. Obviously he'll improve for the run, He's had a lot of grass and looks fantastic but the problems he had with the splint have gone.

"He's a very solid horse. I think it's an open race again this year. There are no stars in the race this year. Un De Sceaux has his jumping frailties. If we'd run in the Tingle Creek and run well he'd probably be favourite, but as he's been off I think he's a big price.

One horse that isn't expected to line up at Prestbury Park in March is Silviniaco Conti who has contested the Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup for each of the last three seasons.

The 10-year-old son of Dom Alco has a far better record at Aintree than over the undulating track at Cheltenham and Nicholls has turned attention to the Crabbie's Grand National.

A tilt at that race may have to wait another year with Nicholls considering the Betfred Bowl at Aintree - a race Silviniaco Conti has won for the last two seasons - and the Punchestown Gold Cup after a successful soft palate operation.

"I think the Grand National is a good plan," he said. "Look, he's won two King Georges. This year was a very, very hot King George.

"We've had problems with him this year and I think he's probably just gone a bit soft - when he got headed at Kempton, he just thought he'd look after himself. But we had his soft palate cauterised the other day and he's got an entry in the Gold Cup and he's going to have an entry in the World Hurdle, which could even be a prep for the National.

"The two probable races which to be honest would be ideal for him in the spring would be the Aintree race he won last year and Punchestown - whether he runs in the National this year or in 12 months' time, I don't know.

"So many horses get their soft palate done nowadays. It's a minor operation. He hasn't had the full works. But it will help him probably. He's a typical Dom Alco, wants a bit further, and one day he might be a real National horse."