Nicholls looks to McFabulous to put the record straight at Ascot

A quick glance at the recent roll of honour for the Grade 2 Sky Bet Supreme Trial Novices' Hurdle at Ascot (2.30) reveals an impressive list of winners, and this season's race looks well up to scratch.

The race, which is better known as the Kennel Gate, often attracts smart performers and, although there are only four runners, it is a quality field.

Paul Nicholls and Nicky Henderson have been successful in six of the last eight runnings, with Angels Breath, Irving and L'Ami Serge among the winners.

Both yards are represented again, with Nicholls relying on McFabulous, who won three of his four bumper starts last season, including a Grade 2 at Aintree's Grand National meeting.

McFabulous's hurdles debut at Chepstow did not go as intended when he was turned over as a 30-100 shot, but Nicholls is confident the five-year-old will be a different proposition on Friday.

The trainer said: "He ran the other day in a maiden hurdle at Chepstow and was second. He didn't jump as well as I'd have liked; we've done a lot of work on that and I think he'll be much improved this time.

"If he hadn't run at Chepstow the other day and got beat, he'd have probably gone into the race and been favourite. If he gets beat and runs a good race, we're not going to lose any sleep over it. It'll be more experience into him and he'll turn out to be a smart horse; he just needs to get some experience.

"He's won on soft as well. He won on soft at Newbury and the fact that it's two miles, if it was two miles on good ground he wouldn't be running, he'd be going over two and a half."

Henderson has won the race for the last two seasons and sends out Time Flies By, who makes his hurdles debut. Ribble Valley is unbeaten in two starts over hurdles and steps up in grade for Nicky Richards, while Master Debonair was a course-and-distance winner last time out for Colin Tizzard.

Match race for Noel Novices' Chase

Angels Breath was successful on this card last year in the Kennel Gate, and attempts to remain unbeaten over fences in the Grade 2 Jacquart Noel Novices' Chase (12.45).

The five-year-old appears to face a fairly straightforward task, as only Mont Des Avaloirs has been declared in opposition, and on official ratings is 9lb inferior.

Angels Breath was a winner on his chase debut at Ascot last month over 2m3f and steps up another two furlongs on Friday, which should suit, while testing ground should also not be a problem.

Henderson said: "On the Saturday before last he did a bit of work, which was a shade flat, but he's been good since. He loved the testing ground when he won on his chasing debut at the track last time."

Glory could soar to head of Champion Bumper market

Soaring Glory is already prominent in the betting for the Weatherbys Champion Bumper at the Cheltenham Festival, and could assume outright favouritism if remaining unbeaten in the Listed Isobel Championship Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race (3.40).

The four-year-old was a course-and-distance winner last time out but will likely need to improve again in a field of potentially useful sorts.

Trained by Jonjo O'Neill, Soaring Glory will again be partnered by his son Jonjo O'Neill jnr, who said on Thursday: "He is obviously a nice horse in the making but this is probably his toughest task to date. It will be the same for all of them but I think the heavy ground might be a bit of a question mark for him."

This is a race that has thrown up plenty of good horses over the years with Supasundae beating Yanworth and Thistlecrack in 2014 and Champion Bumper winner Ballyandy beaten the following year.

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