Fantastic Frodon aiming for fitting end to record-breaking season for Nicholls

2.30 Sandown
bet365 Oaksey Chase (Grade 2) (For The Menorah Challenge Trophy) | 2m6½f | 5yo+ | ITV/RTV

The Oaksey Chase has always been a golden handshake for the season's Grade 1 nearly horses, but that cannot be said this year. King George winner and Gold Cup fifth Frodon is the most high-profile runner the race has ever attracted.

What Frodon has going for him is not only class and his comes-as-standard attitude and jumping, but conditions here appear to set up perfectly for him. He handles quick ground better than most staying chasers, jumps with the sort of metronomic precision that neutralises Sandown's obstacles and loves nothing more than dominating small fields.

Frodon faces just three rivals, none of whom are Grade 1 horses in the way he is but Mister Fisher could at least stake a claim. He is a multiple Grade 2 winner over fences and everything about his Peterborough Chase success in December suggested he could cut it at the top level. Since then, the fences have stopped him from proving as much.

It was mistakes that compromised his chance in the Ryanair and that literally took him out of the Betway Bowl at Aintree last time. Sandown's fences are not as imposing as Cheltenham or Aintree's but they demand dexterity and Mister Fisher now has something to prove on that score.

The other two runners both get 6lb, but without improvement Born Survivor needs a stone more and Militarian perhaps twice that. Both are admirable in their grade, which is mostly second-tier handicaps, and might have had designs on minor honours in a typical Oaksey Chase. Unfortunately for them, they have not landed in one of those.
Keith Melrose, betting editor

Frodon will be hard to beat – Nicholls

Frodon provided the highlight of Paul Nicholls’ record-breaking campaign with his magnificent King George victory, and the top trainer believes he is the one to beat in the Oaksey Chase as he aims to end the 2020-21 season on another high.

The Ditcheat trainer, set to be crowned champion trainer for a 12th time on Saturday, has plundered 173 winners to beat his previous best seasonal tally of 171 from 2016-17, and Frodon looks well placed to give Nicholls an 18th Graded winner of the year.

Paul Nicholls: the trainer believes the 2m6½f Oaksey Chase trip should perfectly suit FrodonCredit: Edward Whitaker

An excellent campaign for the nine-year-old, who will once again be ridden by Bryony Frost, began when defying topweight in a 3m1f handicap at Cheltenham, before he bombed out of an unusual running of the Many Clouds Chase after a significant number of fences were omitted due to low sun.

His King George heroics earned him a ticket for the Cheltenham Gold Cup where, despite not quite seeing out the trip, he plugged on gamely to take fifth.

Nicholls said: "He’s the King George winner and didn’t get the trip in the Gold Cup. This trip is much more suitable for him, and he seems to have gotten over Cheltenham very well. He’ll be hard to beat."

What they say

Nicky Henderson, trainer of Mister Fisher
He was having an absolute ball at Aintree and jumping like a gazelle. Nico felt there were quite a lot of cameras on the landing side of what is the last fence and he just had a look at those, then when he got to the next he went looking for them again. Even though he's got pulled up next to his name, he ran a huge race in the Ryanair as well because he was the only horse that tried to go with Allaho and he very nearly did, but sensibly he cried enough. Frodon is going to be a very tough horse to beat but Mister Fisher will like the ground and the track. He's a very good horse.

Mister Fisher: expected to provide the sternest opposition to FrodonCredit: Alan Crowhurst (Getty Images)

Dan Skelton, trainer of Born Survivor
On numbers we can’t really beat the top two but it’s a four-runner field where one of them has run in the Gold Cup and the other has run at Cheltenham and Aintree. Our horse won last time, he’s in good form and should be fine with the ground and the track. We’re realistic about taking them on but you never know.

Andrew Martin, trainer of Militarian
He’s had a fairly light season, we got him back to run at Aintree where we thought he ran a really good race and, had he had a prep run, he might have been second. He’s come on from that and with all the vibes he’s shown us since there’s no reason he can’t take his place and run a very good race. We have to be realistic though.
Reporting by Sam Hendry

Read more Saturday previews:

1.55 Sandown: classy Flat performer On To Victory bids to sign off in style for a second time

3.05 Sandown: why it will still take a mighty effort to lower the once-great Altior's colours

3.40 Sandown: find out who's in 'serious order' for the bet365 Gold Cup

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