Racing

Bravemansgame will do all the talking at Cheltenham, says Nicholls

Star novice chaser has been compared by trainer to his 2008 Gold Cup hero Denman

Trainer Paul Nicholls with Bravemansgame during a visit to Manor Farm Stables, Somerset on Thursday. Photograph: Ben Birchall/PA Wire

Fri Mar 4 2022 - 06:00

Paul Nicholls is keen to let Bravemansgame do the talking as the star novice chaser prepares to lead Team Ditcheat's challenge at this year's Cheltenham Festival.

It was after the seven-year-old romped home in the 2020 Challow Novices’ Hurdle that the 12-times champion trainer first mentioned the £370,000 purchase in the same breath as the great Denman – and the comparisons are obvious.

Like the 2008 Gold Cup hero, Bravemansgame had to make do with minor honours on his first visit to the festival in last year’s Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle, finishing third behind the impressive Bob Olinger.

And in a fortnight’s time he will now bid to emulate the one-time Nicholls star by landing the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase (formerly the RSA).

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“When I first compared him to Denman, he’d just won the Challow, as Denman had,” Nicholls said during a press morning at his yard on Thursday.

“He’s rated higher now than Denman was after he won the Brown Advisory. There’s a lot of similarities in terms of what they’ve done, but you can’t compare generations really.

“He can only beat what’s put in front of him. It doesn’t mean that one is better than the other, but he’s certainly gone the right way anyway.

“Denman probably never had as much boot as this horse. He was an out-and-out galloper and stayer, whereas this horse has plenty of speed.

“He’s just a lovely horse who has that class. We don’t need to make comparisons with anything else – we’ll see what the future brings.”

Foot-perfect

Bravemansgame has been foot-perfect in winning each of his four starts over fences to date, most recently giving away lumps of weight in a handicap at Newbury.

His potential rivals at Cheltenham include Lucinda Russell’s Ahoy Senor, whom he readily swept aside at Kempton over Christmas, and the Willie Mullins-trained Galopin Des Champs.

Mullins has suggested he is favouring the shorter Turners Novices’ Chase in the Cotswolds, however.

“Bravemansgame is a fantastic-looking horse and has done everything right,” Nicholls added.

“We got well and truly put in our place last year by Bob Olinger, but he still ran well.

“He’s won four from four this season and is now rated 164, which is a high mark for a novice.

“Nobody knows what is going to turn up, but he’ll run in the three-mile race unless it was really attractional. If it got heavy we might think about the shorter race.

“If a horse like Galopin Des Champs turns up, of course you’d be nervous, but we’re going into it with a stronger horse than we had last year and he keeps winning – he’s a lovely horse with a lovely chance.”

Bravemansgame is likely to be joined in the Brown Advisory by stablemate Threeunderthrufive, who has also won his last four races over fences.

The Shantou gelding holds alternative options in the Ultima and the National Hunt Chase, but is set to bid for Grade One glory.

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