Paul Nicholls believes Gold Cup hope Clan Des Obeaux can lead title charge

Paul Nicholls on Tuesday outlined his hopes and dreams of securing an 11th trainers’ title, while also revealing that Clan Des Obeaux – the King George VI Chase hero and leading Magners Cheltenham Gold Cup contender – was ready to join his select band of superstar chasers.

Nicholls is a 7-2 shot with bet365 to deny 2-9 favourite Nicky Henderson, and showed off the firepower at his disposal when hosting media representatives at his Ditcheat yard.

Chief among that talent pool is Clan Des Obeaux, who will take the stable's tried-and-trusted approach by prepping for the Gold Cup in Saturday's Betfair Denman Chase at Newbury, and could be a pivotal player in his trainers' championship challenge.

The Denman Chase is a race Nicholls won with Kauto Star and Denman himself before they claimed the Cheltenham Festival's showpiece contest, this year worth £625,000.

Victory at the weekend and in the second-most valuable prize in jump racing next month would boost the trainer's chances of coming out on top in the trainers' battle.

"I'm £140,000 or so in front, but Altior will wipe that out in one go at Cheltenham," said Nicholls.

"We're having a good run and will have nearly £2 million before Cheltenham, which is really good for us. We'll keep chipping away and see where we are at the end of Cheltenham. It's competitive at Cheltenham and Altior will be Nicky's banker, while the Irish will have some good horses, so we'll see at the end of it.

"We could be well behind and have no chance, or be competitive, and there's a lot of racing from the end of March into April."

Nicholls runs Dolos in the Grade 2 Betfair Exchange Chase at Newbury on Saturday, while Getaway Trump and Mont Des Avaloirs will be on duty in the Betfair Hurdle – the richest contest of its kind in Britain.

Promising youngsters McFabulous and Ask For Glory – possible Clan Des Obeauxs of the future – are due to contest Newbury's Listed bumper on a day that has been kind to Nicholls in the past.

He added: "I'm not desperate to win the title, but you want to win it and if you're where we are of course you want to try – in October you were all writing me off, but since then we've had an amazing time.

"A lot can happen after Cheltenham as Aintree is big, there's Ayr and Sandown. It's not all about Cheltenham but you wouldn't want to be too far behind.

"I always set myself a target of being in front on January 1 and thought it an impossible task this year, but the horses have gone really well and we're having a great season."

A big part of that success has been the emergence of Clan Des Obeaux, who is 7-4 with Betfair to win the Denman Chase.

Paul Nicholls' Denman Chase winners

2000 See More Business
2001 Shotgun Willy
2003 Valley Henry
2007 Kauto Star
2008 Denman
2010 Tricky Trickster
2011 Noland
2013 Silviniaco Conti

Nicholls, stressing the £50,000 race is not make or break for Clan Des Obeaux, said: "His skin looks fantastic and he was really on it schooling this morning.

"I think he'll give a good account of himself. He'll go well and, seeing him school this morning, I haven't seen him in that form before or so well. We've purposely not been hard on him since the King George. We've been ticking away and he's fit enough, but will improve. There's only one race we want to win and that's the Gold Cup.

"I can remember running Kauto in what is now the Denman Chase and he had a scare against L'Ami, but he improved from it and won the Gold Cup.

"It'll be interesting on Saturday, but everything about Clan Des Obeaux at home suggests he's becoming a proper horse. I think he can step forward, and he has stepped forward. The run on Saturday will bring him on as well."

Nicholls has always held Clan Des Obeaux – owned by Paul Barber, Ged Mason and ex-Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson – in high regard, insisting he can now be ranked alongside some of the Somerset operation's former aces.

"He's a bit of a cross of everything," he added. "He doesn't have the speed Kauto had, but nothing does. He's a tough See More Business- Silviniaco Conti-type, but he's probably scopier and has a bit more class than them. He's right up there without a shadow of a doubt.

"Going into the King George people were saying it's the best King George for ages, and then when he wins it's a fluke. People always say that, but he's a smart horse. He's really decent, and improving. I've always thought a lot of him.

"The improvement from the Betfair Chase to Kempton was enormous. Harry [Cobden] obviously had a great feel off him at Haydock because he said straight away he was going to ride him in the King George.

"He then went to the King George, travelled well, jumped well and won nicely. He had his ears pricked at the second-last."

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