Cyrname now rated 3lb better than Altior as Nicholls eyes possible Sandown clash

The new rating allotted to Saturday's runaway Ascot Chase winner Cyrname – one bettered by only seven horses since 2000 – has come as no surprise to the improving seven-year-old's trainer Paul Nicholls, who has opened the door for a thrilling end-of-season clash with Altior.

The BHA's official handicappers reckon Cyrname's 17-length victory at the weekend merits a figure of 178 – 3lb higher than Nicky Henderson's stable star is rated.

The pair will not meet at Cheltenham, but Nicholls is open to the possibility of an encounter later in the season, although he stressed no final decision has been made.

178+ rated horses since 2000

Kauto Star 190 (highest rating)
Sprinter Sacre 188
Master Minded 186
Denman 182
Long Run 182
Bobs Worth 180
Moscow Flyer 180

"Knowing what the handicapper does and what the horse did the other day he was only ever going to be somewhere high like that," said the trainer on Tuesday after his new mark was revealed.

"He beat all of those horses 17 lengths – what could the handicapper do? He could have been higher, arguably.

"He beat Waiting Patiently, Fox Norton, Politologue, Charbel – all good yardsticks – so I suppose the performance on Saturday says that. He's just an improving young horse we've worked out how to get right, and how to get the best out of him. He's very smart."

Owned by Johnny de la Hey, Cyrname bolted up in a 2m5f handicap chase at Ascot last month, and has shown a preference going right-handed, so the Festival is not on his agenda.

"He definitely won't be going to Cheltenham and he'll either run at Sandown or Punchestown I suspect, because there isn't a lot else for him," added Nicholls, who would have no concerns dropping the son of Nickname back to two miles for Sandown's bet365 Celebration Chase, which Altior has won for the last two years.

"Absolutely, definitely," Nicholls replied to that suggestion.

"I wouldn't be afraid to do that and I've said that to Johnny. Sandown is a Grade 1, it's worth a lot of money, but we wouldn't want the ground to be too quick. It's definitely a possibility, but we haven't made a definite plan.

"He'll go to Sandown or Punchestown and we haven't ruled anything in or out. I wouldn't be afraid to meet Altior and I always thought it would have been very interesting at the last meeting when Cyrname won as far as he did because he's so good right-handed and the other lad [Altior] jumps a little left."

Altior – deemed by many the biggest and brightest name in the sport – is unbeaten in 17 starts over hurdles and fences. He is due to appear next in the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham on March 13, for which he is a red-hot 2-5 shot.

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