PAUL NICHOLLS reckons Supreme hopeful Tahmuras is his best chance of a winner on day one of Cheltenham Festival.
The Tolworth hero – who is a best-price 11-1 for the opener – left a plethora of subsequent winners in behind when scooting up at Sandown.
Nicholls reckons the forecast softer conditions will be right up his street and he predicts a strong showing.
Here, the Ditcheat boss runs through his day one charges with Betfair.
1.30 Tahmuras
I’m really pleased with Tahmuras who is unbeaten in three starts over hurdles and has progressed all season.
Soft ground will be in his favour because he stays well and won a Point-to-Point in Ireland on his debut.
He has plenty of ability, schooled nicely on Thursday morning and probably wants two and a half miles already.
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Tahmuras kept on in determined style to land the Tolworth Hurdle at Sandown and the form of that race has been very well advertised.
The faster they go on in the Supreme the better he will run.
I see him in the mould of Noland and Al Ferof, two strong stayers who won this race for us. He is in top shape.
He is my best chance on the day and is improving all the time. He has solid claims in a competitive race.
2.50 – Threeunderthrufive
He was smart as a novice, winning four chases on the bounce, but has found life tougher this season and his handicap mark is probably still at least 5lbs too high.
He got no further than the first fence in the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury and last time he didn’t quite stay the marathon trip at Warwick where he carried top weight in testing ground and was still bang there jumping the second last.
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Threeundertheufive has won at Cheltenham before and will handle the ground so I’m hopeful of a good run in a first time tongue tie.
4.50 – Afadil
He’s a decent prospect who twice won tidily for us over hurdles before a below par effort at Haydock which came too soon after his previous start.
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I had to run Afadil there to qualify him for this race. His blood was wrong when we got him home from Haydock but it was back to 100 per cent when we tested him a few days ago and he is pleasing in his work again.
If he hadn’t run at Haydock he’d be shorter in the Boodles betting and I’d say he has a lively each way chance.
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