'He's turned inside out and his confidence is up' - which trainer fancies their chances in this Pertemps qualifier?

The top four from this race will qualify for the Pertemps Final at Cheltenham in March and Lucy Wadham has named that prestigious handicap as a big-race target for Zain Nights.

Winner of his last three races over hurdles, Zain Nights competes off a career-high mark of 130, but his trainer is hoping there is plenty more to come.

Zain Nights: has Pertemps Final as his major target for seasonCredit: John Grossick

“He’s a difficult horse for the handicapper to assess because he never wins by far,” she said. “We know he likes Cheltenham and he has enjoyed a straightforward preparation for this race. We’re looking to qualify him for the final of this series.”

Zain Nights rounded off last season with a head defeat of My Bobby Dazzler at Haydock off a 5lb lower rating.

What they say

Gary Moore, joint-trainer of Botox Has
It’s a lot of weight to give away in a good, competitive race, but he always runs well at Cheltenham and goes well fresh.

Gordon Elliott, trainer of Beacon Edge and The Wallpark
The Wallpark has turned inside out and his confidence is up. He's getting better and better with every run and I think there's more to come from him, too. Beacon Edge might not be the horse he once was, but he still retains plenty of ability and he's been pretty consistent this year. It wouldn't surprise me to see him going well again.

Nigel Twiston-Davies, trainer of Gowel Road
He's done nothing wrong for a long time and I'm very pleased with him. I'm expecting a good run.

Henry Daly, trainer of Supreme Gift
I suspect he will improve greatly for the run. I’m not totally sure, but he did blow up first time out at Ludlow last year and has historically always improved for the run. He ran very well at Cheltenham on his final run last season when third to Zain Nights.

Henry Daly: runs Supreme Gift at Cheltenham on SaturdayCredit: Edward Whitaker

Tom Lacey, trainer of Cruz Control
The ground needs to be safe for us to run him. He is also entered at Aintree on Sunday. He’s rated 6lb lower over hurdles than fences, so you’d like to think he’d have a chance. Mind you, it’s quite a deep race and this is a prep race for either the Rehearsal Chase, Coral Chase or Becher Chase. We want to protect his chase mark for one of those nice races.

Olly Murphy, trainer of Secret Trix
He reverts to hurdling after a busy summer campaign. He's handicapped up to his best really and would need to improve again to be competitive.

Lucinda Russell, trainer of Idem
Cheltenham is his first preference, but he is also declared at Aintree on Sunday in case the ground is too quick for him. It’s a deep race at Cheltenham, but he’d have a chance.

Ben Pauling, trainer of Hardy Boy
He is out of the handicap, but we’ve had this race in mind for a little while. Ability isn’t the issue with Hardy Boy, it’s getting inside his mind. We’re keen to see what he’s like in a better-class race like this. I think he’ll like the track, but he’s got it all to do.
Reporting by Richard Birch

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