PAUL NICHOLLS has revealed Kauto Stone will only line up in tomorrow’s Sportingbet Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown if conditions change. The half-brother to dual Tingle Creek winner Kauto Star made a fine debut for the champion trainer at Down Royal at the start of last month.
But Nicholls has warned punters that unless the rain arrives at the Esher track, where conditions are currently described as good, Kauto Stone will not be taking his chance.
“I’ve left him in as I’ve seen two very different weather forecasts,” said Nicholls, who has booked Sam Thomas for the ride. “One says there could be a lot of rain, the other says there could be hardly any, so we’ll just have to see.
“It was a 48-hour declaration race so we decided to declare him and then we could see what happens with the weather. If there isn’t enough rain for him, he won’t run.”
Kauto Stone has the alternative of staying over two and a half miles in the John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase on Sunday week.
Nicholls will still be represented by Tataniano, an impressive comeback winner at Chepstow and the mount of Ruby Walsh. The British champion trainer is bidding for his seventh consecutive Tingle Creek triumph.
Sizing Europe has won four out of five on his trips to Britain, with his sole defeat coming in the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham when he went wrong between the final two flights.
He has experimented over a variety of distances in the past two seasons, but has won an Arkle and a Champion Chase over this trip of two miles. Henry De Bromhead’s star is 7 to 4 favourite with William Hill.
SPORTINGBET TINGLE CREEK CHASE, WILLIAM HILL BET:7-4 Sizing Europe, 11-4 Tataniano, 7-2 Wishfull Thinking, 6-1 Kauto Stone, 11-1 Gauvain, 20-1 I'msingingtheblues, 25-1 Cornas, 40-1 Dan Breen, 66-1 Fix The Rib.
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