'It's all to play for' - Paul Nicholls primed for Aintree and title challenge

Paul Nicholls, who had fewer runners at Cheltenham last week than Willie Mullins had winners, has his sights firmly fixed on Aintree's Randox Grand National meeting next month as he chases a 13th trainers' championship, which he believes has an open look to it following the festival.

Bell Ex One fared best of the Somerset stable's runners by finishing third in the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle, but Nicholls' other eight runners struggled to make an impact.

His best chance of a winner appeared to be the classy Bravemansgame in the Brown Advisory Novices' Chase on Wednesday, but the trainer withdrew him after heavy rain turned conditions testing.

Nicholls scratched a host of other horses, but they are on the team sheet for Aintree, where Bravemansgame will contest the Betway Mildmay Novices' Chase on April 8.

Highland Hunter will represent Nicholls in the Grand National, which is worth £500,000 to the winner – an amount that would be a major boost to the trainer's title ambitions.

At the start of play on Sunday, Nicholls had won £2,120,141 in prize-money, while his nearest rival Nicky Henderson was on £1,935,873.

Dan Skelton had pocketed £1,813,460 and Mullins, in mighty form with ten festival winners, had accrued £1,569,773.

"We've got loads to run at Aintree and all those ones who didn't run at Cheltenham – McFabulous, Thyme Whyte, Bravemansgame, Simply The Betts, Saint Calvados – will all go there and a dry fortnight will suit them," Nicholls said.

"I took them out because of the ground and all they would have had at Cheltenham is hard races for nothing. If the ground is wrong for the horse you've got, you don't run. We'll wait for another day and all the horses are fine."

Nicholls is bet365's 2-5 favourite for the title, while Henderson is 5-2 and Skelton 13-2.

Bravemansgame: rerouted to the Betway Mildmay Novices' Chase on April 8Credit: Alan Crowhurst (Getty Images)

"We'll have a big team for Aintree and Highland Hunter for the National and, looking at the table, it's all to play for," Nicholls added.

"We've got loads to run in April – we always do – and I have come out of Cheltenham quite lucky I reckon, because if Dan had won the Gold Cup and Nicky the Stayers' Hurdle and Champion Chase it would all have been different. I suppose the next few weeks will be quite interesting."

Paisley Park to head to Punchestown

Aintree is not on the agenda for Paisley Park, who is likely to head to Punchestown for the Ladbrokes Champion Stayers Hurdle on April 28.

He finished third in the Stayers' Hurdle at Cheltenham on Thursday and trainer Emma Lavelle said: "He's absolutely perfect and, as things stand, we'll look to go to Punchestown.

"In years gone by we've thought about the same programme back to Cheltenham, but he's loving his racing and gallops his heart out every time he runs. As long as the ground's safe at Punchestown, why not?

"I think he'll cope with Punchestown better than he would Aintree because the problem with Aintree is the track is too sharp. Punchestown would be a more suitable track for him and we've got more time until then – it comes at the perfect time."

Read these highlights from our in-depth Cheltenham coverage:

Memorable moments: all 28 Cheltenham Festival races ranked day-by-day

'Seven-plus out of ten' - Willie Mullins reflects on another stunning festival

'She's once in a lifetime' - the best quotes from the 2022 Cheltenham Festival

'There's definitely a big handicap in him' - seven Cheltenham eyecatchers

'She's been absolutely mobbed' - Rachael Blackmore receives hero's welcome

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