It's simple – going for gold at Newbury means going for Nicholls

Football is a simple game. Twenty-two men chase a ball for 90 minutes and, at the end, the Germans always win.

That is the famous, ever-so-slightly tongue-in-cheek view of Gary Lineker, a veteran of the 1990 semi-final penalty shootout heartbreak in Turin who knows of what he speaks.

Now, imagine that the men behind racing's new television coverage had gone to the BBC rather than to Sky to find a football pundit to front their programme.

Rather than Ed Chamberlin, viewers tuning in as the sport returns to ITV1 for the first time since New Year's Day might hear Leicester's most famous crisp salesman say: "The Greatwood Gold Cup is a simple race. A dozen or so chasers gallop round Newbury for five minutes and, at the end, Paul Nicholls always wins."

Which is how most other trainers must feel as they approach one of the last big chases before Cheltenham – albeit one now worth half of the £100,000 it offered when launched in 2004.

Eight times in the last 11 years the champion trainer has started the biggest month of the year by landing this race, last year with 7-1 shot Sametegal which suggests he's the way in for a punter looking to earn some festival betting money.

So don't be at all surprised if first-time blinkers end Vibrato Valtat's losing run or More Buck's – described as 'a third as good' as half-brother Big Buck's by owner Andy Stewart – starts living up to his pedigree.

But even the Germans don't win every time – 1966 anyone? – and it's Nicholls' former assistant Dan Skelton who's had the bookmakers running scared this week with hat-trick-seeking Oldgrangewood.

Progressive though he may be, he's not entered at Cheltenham and today's programme is understandably geared towards those not heading for the festival, hence the veterans' chase and veterans' hurdle on the supporting card at Newbury.

But this is the perfect time to warm up for the Grand National, as The Last Samuri proved last year when he scored an impressive victory in the BetBright Grimthorpe Chase at Doncaster before finding only Rule The World too good at Aintree.

Although he'll be old enough to mix it with the pipe-and-slippers set in veterans' races for Kim Bailey next year if he comes down the handicap, the nine-year-old is better than ever judged on his effort back at Liverpool in the Becher Chase in December.

That close third behind National favourite Vieux Lion Rouge has been made to look all the better by the efforts of others – he was just ahead of Warwick Classic Chase winner One For Arthur and Thyestes Chase second Ucello Conti.

And it fully entitles him to top weight on today's return to Doncaster, 12lb higher in the handicap than 12 months ago.

Rivals Definitly Red and Vivaldi Collonges are also engaged in the National, as are Le Mercurey and Tenor Nivernais who head to Kelso to tackle the totepoolliveinfo.com Premier Chase, a contest sadly missing the late Many Clouds, who won it last year en route to Aintree.

If there is to be a late Cheltenham clue it could come in the totescoop6 Premier Kelso Novices' Hurdle, with the six-year-old Supreme and Neptune entry Mount Mews a decidedly smart prospect.

However the six-year-old to get properly excited about this afternoon is one who is just two days that horse's junior but a world away in terms of profile – and half a world away in geographical terms, given that he runs in Dubai.

Postponed certainly puts the super into 'Super Saturday' at Meydan, the class act on a card of five Group races that signals things are getting serious with the World Cup just three weeks away.

He was officially rated the best British-trained horse on the Flat last year, a most uncontroversial piece of handicapping given that he won the Dubai Sheema Classic, Coronation Cup and Juddmonte International for Roger Varian in 2016.

As last year, he warms up for the first of those races by reappearing in the Dubai City Of Gold and is reported to have "thrived" since returning to Meydan.

It's possible the day may throw up a contender for the big race itself on March 25 but it would need to go some to frighten the brilliant Arrogate – this is one World Cup that looks destined for the USA rather than Germany.

Action back on main ITV channel today

For the first time since New Year’s Day, ITV’s main channel is home to racing this afternoon after the sport’s exclusive ­mainstream broadcaster opted to promote coverage of the Doncaster and Newbury action.

In what will be a welcome way of promoting the sport just ten days away from ITV’s first Cheltenham Festival, racing has switched from ITV3, with its usual ITV4 home this weekend screening darts.

ITV spokesman Grant ­Cunningham said: “We’re pleased to bring the coverage on to the main channel and take the number of days scheduled on it to 42 from the minimum 34 we originally announced.”

Those who stick with ITV3 will be able to watch Inspector Morse solving the murder of a woman found dead near a driving school.

Saturday cards and betting

Randox Health Grand National card and betting