Expert angles: Nicholls hoping Copper can turn to handicap gold in Ultima

Ultima Handicap Chase (Grade 3) | 3m1f, 5yo+ | ITV/RTV

Nicholls has ante-post favourite but yet to strike in race

Paul Nicholls, with 43 successes, is the Cheltenham Festival's third winningmost trainer of all time, but he has yet to strike gold in the Ultima Handicap Chase.

However, that could change this year, with the talented Give Me A Copper the long-time ante-post favourite for what is invariably a fiercely competitive chase.

Elusive though this race may have been, 20 of the Nicholls' festival winners have come in handicaps – underlining his ability to prepare horses for these contests – and this lightly-raced nine-year-old, part-owned by Sir Alex Ferguson, could be the latest to benefit from his trainer's magic touch.

A fragile type, Give Me A Copper returned from a 446-day absence with a positive display at Sandown last month.

The Ditcheat master said: "It was a great run at Sandown last time, that really was just a prep for this.

"He hadn't been anywhere for a gallop before but had done bits and pieces at home so we knew he'd really need the run.He should improve for that and any sort of normal improvement would put him right in the mix."

On a possible Randox Health Grand National tilt next month with the 145-rated chaser, Nicholls added: "It's possibly a stepping stone towards the National if he puts up a real performance, but he's quite inexperienced, which could be a negative here."

Festival form

Previous festival form is something of a go-to trend in this race and therefore may be a negative to Give Me A Copper's chances.

Nine of the last ten winners of the Ultima have previously run at the festival, with five of those having recorded a top-four finish the previous season.

It can be a race for festival specialists, and last year's winner Coo Star Sivola, 2018 Close Brothers victor Mister Whitaker and 2017 Gold Cup runner-up Minella Rocco fit that criteria.

Weighty matters

Whatever the underfoot conditions, this is always a gruelling test and it is therefore no surprise that seven of the last ten winners have carried 11st 3lb or less.

Against that metric, Lake View Lad (11st 12lb), O O Seven (11st 9lb) and Minella Rocco (11st 9lb) have it to do, while Up For Review (11st 3lb), Give Me a Copper (11st 2lb) and Singlefarmpayment (11st 3lb) arrive on more favourable terms.

Royal Vacation: could have a good chance according to trainer Colin TizzardCredit: Mark Cranham

What they say

Colin Tizzard, trainer of Sizing Codelco and Royal Vacation
Sizing Codelco has a massive weight and I don't know where we are with him on that, while this is Royal Vacation's Grand National prep. He's got the right weight and is a classy horse on his day so I quite fancy him. It's a big-field handicap but we've won it before and he could have a good chance.

Nicky Henderson, trainer of O O Seven and Beware The Bear
Both have been working very nicely and Beware The Bear does go on soft ground. He won nicely at Cheltenham on New Year's Day, while we've popped some blinkers on O O Seven. They're in great shape.

Jack Channon, assistant to Mick Channon, trainer of Mister Whitaker
He should have a fantastic chance. He had a very good comeback run in the autumn and was just a bit below-par over the winter, but he looks back to his sparkling best. The ground should suit and I think he's been crying out for this step up in trip. I think you'll see a different Mister Whitaker in this.

Mister Whitaker (Brian Hughes, left) slugs it out with Rather Be (centre) and Rocklander to land last year's Close Brothers at the festivalCredit: Grossick Racing

Gordon Elliott, trainer of Noble Endeavor and General Principle
It's very competitive and both will need to bring their A-game. The ground will be fine for them. Noble Endeavor was third in the race two years ago, but General Principle has the better recent form.

Dan Skelton, trainer of Crucial Role and Oldgrangewood
Crucial Role stays well, will like the softer ground and he's a novice in a handicap, which is always a positive. His 16-1 is representative of his chances. We can ride him fairly positively and he'll stay up the hill well. Oldgrangewood definitely wants this step up in trip, but the worry is the soft ground. He's coming down the weights and has proved he can win good handicaps.

DID YOU KNOW?
Five winners of the Ultima Handicap Chase have gone on to win the Grand National: Royal Tan (1952, 1954), Team Spirit (1963, 1964), West Tip (1985, 1986), Seagram (1991) and Rough Quest (1995, 1996)

Nick Williams, trainer of Coo Star Sivola
He's had quite a disappointing season really and we're just hoping he's coming back to himself. Basically the difference is that last year he went into the race on the back of an easy win at Exeter, and I prefer to go the festival after a better performance than he produced last time. I'm slightly apprehensive.

Nigel Twiston-Davies, trainer of Flying Angel
He's come down the handicap nicely and hopefully should have a much handier weight now. The conditions should be fine for him. I hope he can run well but it's a competitive race.

Neil Mulholland, trainer of Shantou Village
We haven't had any rain yet and hopefully it's not going to be as bad as predicted. He ran well in the Kerry National when beaten five lengths on soft and maybe, as he gets older, he may be able to take that sort of ground a bit better than he used to.

Spotlight verdict

The unbounded potential of Give Me A Copper makes him look very tempting off this mark but there is a lot to be said for the fantastic Festival form of Coo Star Sivola. The 7yo was a novice when winning this race last year and there's a good chance that he has more to give over fences with conditions having come right for him. In a typically fascinating handicap, Minella Rocco, blighted by problems but a former Gold Cup runner-up, and Noble Endeavor, a close third in this race two years ago, cannot be discarded lightly but those with more solid claims on recent form include Calipto, Beware The Bear and Mister Whitaker, who is now stepping up in trip. Singlefarmpayment has had some desperately sad defeats here in his time but the 2017 second can never be ruled out lightly.
Emily Weber

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