Nicholls to work magic with classy type

Conas Taoi should be forgiven a lacklustre return 3.30 Sandown

This seven-year-old won seven of his ten chases from June to April last season and, after starting that winning sequence off a mark of 86, he went on to reach a career-high 122.

He had his first outing off that rating in a 3m1f amateur riders' handicap chase at Cheltenham in October and was a disappointing eighth of 17. However, that was his first run for six months and he ran as though in need of the outing, travelling nicely in midfield before gradually losing pace with the leaders.