'We love coming up here' - Paul Nicholls bags 147-1 treble and 50th Ayr winner

What is a seven-hour drive north when you confidently expect to be among the winners when you get there?

Soon to be 14-time champion jumps trainer Paul Nicholls has a fine record at this meeting, with three Scottish Grand Nationals, two Scottish Champion Hurdles and seven Future Champion Novices' Chases to his name.

And he struck immediately this year when Afadil took the opening 2m hurdle under Harry Cobden – much as the yard had expected.

"We thought he'd win," said Nicholls. "We thought he was still quite nicely handicapped. He's a tank of a horse and if he's in good form and we were happy, we could well look at the Swinton."

Confidence in stablemate Hugos New Horse was also justified as the six-year-old scored a fifth win of the season in the 2m4½f novice hurdle.

"He's an improving young horse and is very strong late on in a race," said Nicholls. "He's won on all sorts of ground and ran well in the EBF final the time before. He had a setback ten days before that race and probably wasn't quite at his best – I thought he'd go very well again here."

Hugos New Horse may even bid to win twice in two days here as he was declared for a handicap on Saturday, and his trainer said: "I haven't totally ruled out running him, we'll see how he is."

Sabrina completed a 147-1 treble for Nicholls and Cobden when bouncing back from a disappointing effort at Exeter to land the 3m½f mares' handicap hurdle, bringing up 50 winners at the track for the trainer. 

It is 400 miles by road to Ayr from Nicholls' Ditcheat base, but he said: "We love coming up here for this meeting. It's always been good to us. We left home at four o'clock this morning and we were here at 11 – we had a super run."  

Late Lake show

Champion jockey Brian Hughes also made the most of his trip north, forcing the Donald McCain-trained Richmond Lake to the front on the run-in to land the £50,000 2m4½f handicap chase.

"It wasn't happening early because we went very quick and he was finding the ground quite tight, but I just held him together and he eventually came good," the rider said.

"He's been a grand horse and rarely runs a bad race. It was a good spot by Donald to run him here. He's still a novice and hopefully he can improve into a nice horse next season."

Richmond Lake (centre) gets the better of Saint Calvados (right) and Dubai DaysCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

Hughes is due to ride Famous Bridge in the Scottish National, but said: "I'd be worried about that ground. He'd need a good bit of rain."

Water was set to be applied to the course overnight to prevent the ground becoming too quick, and clerk of the course Graeme Anderson said: "It has been a drying day, with sunshine and quite a wind. We will put around 5mm of water on.

"The jockeys are saying it is good ground, and we want to keep it where it is."

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