Rivals eye end to Nicholls rule

Nov 22 2008 by Chris Wright, Liverpool Daily Post

HAYDOCK and Aintree are courses Donald McCain and his family call home, but he will need to end Paul Nicholls’s domination to find any comfort this weekend.

McCain’s Cheshire-based stable has just started to hit form with four winners in the last week. But his big guns Cloudy Lane, Regal Heights and Idle Talk will have to be at their best to stop Nicholls’s recent rule of the North West Masters weekend.

The champion trainer has turned the popular racing weekend into something of a benefit in the three previous years it has been run under the North West Masters banner.

The Ditcheat handler will send Kauto Star into battle this afternoon at Haydock as a long odds-on favourite to win a third Betfair Chase in a row. Then tomorrow at Aintree, he will be seeking a fourth totesport.com Becher Chase in the last five years with last season’s winner Mr Pointment and Racing Post Chase winner Gungadu both vying for favouritism.

But McCain is hoping he can keep the big prizes in the region.

Cloudy Lane steps up to Grade One company for the first time against Kauto Star today. After three excellent chase successes last year, the Trevor Hemmings-owned eight-year-old finished sixth to Comply Or Die in the John Smith’s Grand National.

He returned to action again at Aintree, but the inadequate trip of 2m4f in the Old Roan Chase saw him finish ninth. McCain was hoping to run him in next week’s Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup at Newbury. But having to carry a big weight there and his liking for the Haydock course – where he has won over hurdles and fences – McCain is hoping he can continue his rise up the chasing ranks.

McCain said: “I don’t really know what I am hoping for from him. He is very well and there are not many places he can go so we are running him. He is fit and well and until we run we don’t know where we stand with him.

“It’s going to be fairly difficult to place him but if we are ever going to take on the big boys Haydock is the place to do it. He has won plenty of races around there and he likes it, so it is the ideal place to try it at.

“As daft as it sounds taking on these horses we thought he might just have less of a hard race in a small field.

“We have no choice but to go for these races. Unless you want to carry 12st in the Hennessy, then these are the races you have to run.”

Tomorrow McCain sends Regal Heights and Idle Talk over the daunting Grand National fences in the totesuper7 Grand Sefton Chase and the totesport.com Becher Chase respectively.

Idle Talk finished 14th in the National in April after running well for much of the way. Tomorrow’s shorter distance of 3m2f in the Becher Chase may see him go closer.

Also owned by Hemmings, Idle Talk ran well on his seasonal appearance to finish second at Carlisle. And his trainer said: “These races have been the targets for Idle Talk and Regal Heights for some time.

“They are fit and well and hopefully they will both run big races. You want a clear round first and foremost.

“Idle Talk ran well in the National and took to the fences, but even though they have done it once, they don’t always go back again. But if he jumps like he did the last time there he will be very competitive.

“He had 12st on his first run of the year on ground he didn’t like. It was a tough task and he ran a blinder. It was just unfortunate he got collared in the last 50 yards. It was a good start and hopefully he goes on.”

Regal Heights was eighth in the Old Roan Chase on his seasonal reappearance and will be tackling the bigger fences at Aintree for the first time. McCain added: “If he takes to the fences, we have got a racing weight where he can run in anything. He is a very talented horse and always has been. With one or two others running on Sunday we have got a nice competitive weight.”

HAYDOCK PREDICTIONS (Today):

12.30pm Sea Storm

1.05pm Gunner Jack

1.40pm Binocular

2.15pm (Betfair Chase) Cloudy Lane (NAP)

2.45pm Osako D’Airy

3.15pm Laoch Dubh

3.45pm Sweetaboutme

AINTREE PREDICTIONS (Tomorrow):

12.30pm Honest John

1.05pm Glingerbank

1.40pm (Grand Sefton Chase) Regal Heights (NAP)

2.15pm Auroras Encore

2.50pm (Becher Chase) Idle Talk

3.25pm General Potter