Betfair Chase still possible for Bravemansgame after coming out of Wetherby 'so well'

Bravemansgame could yet run in the Betfair Chase later this month, with trainer Paul Nicholls revealing the Haydock Grade 1 remains an option for his stable star.

Speaking in his exclusive Racing Post stable tour, Nicholls said he was keen to take the same 'fresh is best' approach from the King George to the Gold Cup. However, despite saying Bravemansgame would go straight to Kempton following Saturday's defeat in the Charlie Hall Chase, those plans could now change – should the weather gods play their part.

The champion trainer said: "The original plan had been to start him off this season in the Betfair Chase, but the long-range forecast up at Haydock was looking pretty dire, so we switched to Plan B and sent him to Wetherby on Saturday for the Charlie Hall, a race that served as an ideal King George trial for us 12 months ago. He went there in great shape physically but we just got caught out on the ground.

"In those very testing conditions you have to mega-fit and I want this horse to be absolutely at his best on Boxing Day and not at the start of November. So he lost nothing in defeat, conceding 6lb to a horse who was race-fit and had finished in front of the Ryanair winner last time out.

Bravemansgame crashes through the last in the Charlie Hall ChaseCredit: John Grossick

"He’s come out of Wetherby so well – you’d hardly know he’d had a race – I haven’t ruled out running him again in three weeks’ time in the Betfair Chase. It's still a possibility, but only if the ground dries up as we wouldn’t even entertain taking him up there if it was a bog."

Bravemansgame was beaten a length and three-quarters by Gentlemansgame at Wetherby, after making a hash of the last, but Nicholls retains full confidence in last year's King George winner and Gold Cup runner-up, with those two races the main targets this season.

Nicholls said: "I’ve always said his two big targets once again are the King George and the Gold Cup and after Christmas we’re likely to do what we did last season, keep him nice and fresh and go straight to Cheltenham. I've seen the Ryanair mentioned but why would we want to come back in trip? I want to win the Gold Cup, the owner wants to win the Gold Cup and that’s what it’s all about.

"I know we’ve got seven lengths to make up on Galopin Des Champs on Gold Cup form, but there wasn’t much between them at Punchestown, and we might ride ours differently at Cheltenham and take our time with him a bit more. I’d relish the rematch come March."

The Betfair Chase is a race Nicholls won six times between 2006 and 2014 thanks to four wins from Kauto Star and two from Silviniaco Conti, but he has not won the race since. Bravemansgame is a 12-1 shot with sponsors Betfair for the £200,000 Grade 1 on November 25.

Betfair Chase (3.00 Haydock, November 25)

Betfair: 11-8 Protektorat, 9-2 Shishkin, 5 Gerri Colombe, 6 L'Homme Presse, 10 Royale Pagaille, 12 Bravemansgame, 14 Conflated, 16 Minella Indo, 20 bar.

Read more from Paul Nicholls in this exclusive stable tour, available in Monday's newspaper or online for Members' Club Ultimate subscribers now. Click here to sign up. 

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Galopin Des Champs, Allaho and Bravemansgame in Kempton mix as entries revealed for King George and Betfair Chase 

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