Canyon can fire again this season

Nichols Canyon won Willie Mullins his first Stayers’ Hurdle last season and that could have kicked off a period of dominance in the division for this hardy little horse.

For much of his career Nichols Canyon had seemed to fall between two stools – not quite good enough to win anything other than domestic 2m Graded hurdles and with stamina for further (one run in the US aside) not completely assured.

His latest campaign appeared to have confirmed that. He won the Morgiana but was then well beaten by Petit Mouchoir at Christmas before falling (beaten at the time) behind the same horse in the Irish Champion Hurdle.

Mullins then made the inspired decision to hike him up a whole mile in trip for the Stayers’ Hurdle and it paid off as he ground out a narrow victory over Lil Rockerfeller and Unowhatimeanharry.

He was unable to confirm the form with the latter at Punchestown, but there was very little in it and I would expect Nichols Canyon to come out on top again if the two locked horns again next March.

Unowhatimeanharry had swept all before him prior to Cheltenham, but he will be ten next year and the last horse to win this race at a double-figure age was Crimson Embers way back in 1986. It will be a tall order for him.

Bearing in mind this is almost certain to be the race Nichols Canyon runs in at the festival, best prices of 6-1 seem quite generous as it seems inconceivable he won’t at least be in the three. I think he will win again.

I fancy him even more when looking through the market at potential opponents.

The young pretender is The Worlds End from Tom George’s stable.

He really sprung to prominence when taking a Grade 2 event at Haydock in February and was well fancied for the Albert Bartlett on the back of that. It’s possible he may have obliged, too, but for falling two out when in contention.

He didn’t let that affect him as he then went on to Aintree to grind out a victory in the Grade 1 Sefton Novices’ Hurdle, a race won by Thistlecrack in 2015 before he went on to take this.

However, he has plenty to find with a proven stayer as good as Nichols Canyon and I'd want better than 12-1.

I still prefer him to Penhill, who took advantage of The Worlds End’s fall to win the Albert Bartlett. That seemed to come as a surprise to connections given he was a 16-1 shot and he was then beaten at Punchestown.

Things get more confused the further down the market you travel.

Yanworth ranges from 8-1 to 20-1, but if things go according to plan then he is surely an RSA horse.

Buveur D’Air made the switch back successfully last season and Yanworth could easily do likewise, but it’s not something you can really bet on at fairly stingy odds.

The same applies to Apple’s Jade, albeit for different reasons.

She had a funny season, thrice being a beaten favourite but winning three Grade 1 events. They all came over 2m4f and she will most probably stay much further, but connections have intimated she will stay within her own sex again this season, which means a similar campaign to last year and no Stayers’ Hurdle challenge.

L’Ami Serge is more interesting now connections have worked out he is a stayer. He has the class to figure, having some good form in the book, and while he has never been the easiest to win with, his victory in France over the summer suggested he has turned over a new leaf.

Preview taken from the RFO Jumps Guide 2017-18 - out now