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Nicholls Aiming to Land Last Big Race Before Cheltenham
04/03/10
Champion trainer Paul Nicholls could be double-handed as he bids to win the 70,000 Paddy Power Imperial Cup for the first time at Sandown on Saturday week and triumph in the last major contest before the Cheltenham Festival.
Nicholls plans to enter the six-figure purchase Apartman, who would be having his first start for the Ditcheat handler, and Taunton specialist Qozak, who unseated Nick Scholfield in the National Spirit Hurdle at Fontwell last Sunday.
The Czech-bred Apartman won a hot juvenile hurdle at Ayr last April for Northumberland trainer George Charlton before being snapped up for 100,000gns by agent Anthony Bromley at the Doncaster Spring Sales. He is now owned by Andy Stewart.
“It would depend on the ground but there are two or three I could run,” said Nicholls. “Apartman could run there, although he would want good ground. We were going to go chasing with him and its got a bit late, and so he could run over hurdles now before we go chasing.”
Apartman has an entry in the Vincent O’Brien County Hurdle, for which he is a 14-1 chance with 
If either of Nicholls’ possible contenders wins the Paddy Power Imperial Cup, they will also become eligible for a £75,000 bonus from
So far David and his father Martin are the only trainers to have pulled off the Paddy Power Imperial Cup-Festival race double, scooping the additional pot in the process. Martin managed it twice courtesy of Olympian (1993) and Blowing Wind five years’ later. The former went on to win the Coral Cup, while Blowing Wind landed the Vincent O’Brien County Hurdle.
David emulated his dad in 2007 with Gaspara, who later was an easy five length winner of the Fred Winter Juvenile Novices’ Handicap Hurdle in the colours of a certain Mr M C Pipe!
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In 2008 he again won the Paddy Power Imperial Cup with Ashkazar, who was three and a half lengths too powerful for Fredensborg under an inspired Timmy Murphy ride, but the winner was unable to cope with Crack Away Jack in the Fred Winter in which he went down by two and a half lengths.
Nicholls went on to rule out a tilt at the Paddy Power Imperial Cup with his recent French import Sanctuaire, an impressive winner of a novice hurdle at Taunton on his British debut.
“He’ll go straight to to Cheltenham for the Fred Winter,” said Nicholls. Sanctuaire is 10-1 co-second favourite with Paddy for the Fred Winter Juvenile Novices Hurdle, for which David Pipes Notus De La Tour, expected to be entered in the Paddy Power Imperial Cup when the race closes on Monday, is 8-1 favourite.
Nicky Henderson is not optimistic of following up Daves Dream win in last years Paddy Power Imperial Cup. The Seven Barrows trainer, who as an amateur rode his father’s Acquaint, trained by Fred Winter, to win the Paddy Power Imperial Cup in 1977, said: “I shall make a couple of entries but nothing very specific.”
British Horseracing Authority handicapper David Dickinson has revealed he dreads scanning down the list of entries for the Paddy Power Imperial Cup after the race closes on Monday afternoon.
“As a handicapper, and punters will know this, there are horses that you think are exposed. You know how good they are,” said Dickinson. “The ones you are worried are about are the ones whove had less racing and are unexposed.”
“Unlike the County Hurdle and the Fred Winter, the Paddy Power Imperial Cup is not an early closing race and next Monday afternoon when I print off the five-day entries its almost like getting the marked sheet from the school teacher, and going oh, thats the one Ive missed this year, and you know theres nothing you can do.”
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Dickinson’s fears have been compounded in recent years by the success of Pipe’s Gaspara and Ashkazar, both relatively lightly raced four-year-olds.
“It used to be said that juveniles couldnt win the Imperial Cup and then Gaspara and Ashkazar went and did it in successive years,” he said. “Two years ago I was thinking Ashkazars got no chance and it absolutely bolts in!”
Dickinson believes punters should take heed if Philip Hobbs’s hat-trick seeking Qaspal runs in the Paddy Power Imperial Cup. Qaspal needs a penalty to stand any chance of getting into the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle, for which he is 10-1 co favourite with
“There are easier races in which to get a penalty, and if Qaspal did go to the Imperial Cup and didn't win there is a distinct possibility he wouldnt get a run at the Festival,” said Dickinson. “The temptation might be to go for a 0-130 somewhere in the interim but he's clearly a horse on the upgrade and has improved every time he has visited the racecourse.”
Hobbs won the Paddy Power Imperial Cup 20 years’ ago courtesy of Moody Man.
