One trainer, one jockey, one horse and one race to watch on Saturday

Trainer

Champion trainer Paul Nicholls has his team in red-hot form and boasts plenty of good chances for Saturday’s card at Cheltenham.

Prior to Friday’s action, a whopping 20 of the trainer’s last 43 runners (47 per cent strike-rate) have won and the Ditcheat maestro has four runners at Cheltenham on Saturday.

Blueking D’Oroux is short for his stable and British debut in the Grade 2 Prestbury Juvenile Hurdle (12.35). Nicholls won the Paddy Power in 2012 and 2014 and is represented this time by Il Ridoto and Simply The Betts (2.20), with the hat-trick seeking Shearer rounding off his team for the day (2.55).

Jockey

He does not have a ride in the Paddy Power Gold Cup, but Nico de Boinville has a solid book of four chances at Cheltenham.

De Boinville’s 236 rides at Cheltenham prior to the November meeting could have been backed for a level-stakes profit of £39.18 and he could showcase his skills in the saddle once again on Saturday.

He starts his afternoon on Pentland Hills, the 2019 Triumph Hurdle winner who faces opposition rather than a walkover in the Arkle Trial (1.45). On The Blind Side won the 3m handicap hurdle (2.55) in 2020 and bids for a repeat, while the unexposed Wiseguy (3.30) and Luccia (4.05) head the markets in the final two races on the card for De Boinville.

On The Blind Side (left) is a course-and-distance winner and one of four chances for Nico de Boinville at CheltenhamCredit: Alan Crowhurst

Horse

The attention may be on Cheltenham but there is good action taking place at Naas in Ireland, including the return of a leading two-mile chaser.

Gentleman De Mee is 14-1 for the Queen Mother Champion Chase and those odds could be shorter by the end of Saturday if he returns with a win in the Poplar Square Chase (2.05).

Trained by Willie Mullins, the six-year-old won three of his five chases last season including a superb win in the Grade 1 Maghull Novices’ Chase at Aintree. He beat Edwardstone that day and does not face a rival of his calibre on return, although Coeur Sublime and Jeremys Flame are no slouches.

Race

The Paddy Power Gold Cup (2.20) is an excellent Saturday afternoon feature, a race won by the likes of Fortria, Gay Trip and Bradbury Star some decades ago and more recently by Imperial Commander and Al Ferof.

Coole Cody features on that esteemed roll of honour and is back for more, while French Dynamite will bid to become an extremely rare Irish winner of the race for Mouse Morris.

Sam Thomas has had much success in recent weeks and Stolen Silver could keep his stable’s strong run going, while Ga Law ran a blinder in the Old Roan last time and must be a contender.

And then there is Mister Fisher, a classy chaser for Nicky Henderson who bids to give weight away to all. Greaneteen and Frodon produced superb weight-carrying performances last week – can he join them?

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