PNicholls

[b]14:15 Toubab[/b] Realistically, the three of us are just playing for the places here with Sprinter Sacre in the line-up. But the fences still have to be jumped and, as we have seen at this meeting already, Cheltenham can leave its mark on the best of horses - even if horses win races on the bridle at the Festival, they still take plenty out of them - so stranger things have happened. And I think we are fairly well positioned to benefit if the favourite doesn't perform, for one reason or another. Toubab's run at Cheltenham pretty much summed up my Festival - he was brought down when travelling well in the Grand Annual, by Free World, a horse I used to train. But even though he was running off a mark of just 143 there, I think he has the potential to be a bit better and conditions could...

[i]14:00, Aintree[/i] [b]Prospect Wells[/b] This high-class Flat performer showed very smart novice form before Christmas but we found him to be suffering from a trapped epiglottis after he disappointed badly at Sandown in January. Took a while to get over the breathing operation that he subsequently had, but pleased us in his work before Cheltenham and took his chance in the Supreme, fitted with a tongue tie. And he ran his best race over hurdles yet, finishing just over 2 lengths in fifth, pulling 8 lengths clear of the sixth home. Certainly doesn't lack pace - he won a Group 2 over 1m2f in France - so perhaps this flatter, speed track will suit him even better. Darlan looks the one to beat again. [i]14:30, Aintree[/i] [b]Join Together[/b] Was pulled up in the Sun ...

[i]14:00 Aintree[/i] [b]Big Buck's[/b] Has come in his coat and looks in superb nick at the moment. I suppose the only possible negative about his chance here is that this is his fifth run of the season, having taken in an extra race this year. But he certainly shows no sign of being over the top. Had quite a hard race - for him at least - when winning his fourth World Hurdle at Cheltenham last month but he did what he had to do, as he always does, and ground out the win. Aims to win his fourth Liverpool Hurdle today and last year's win in the race was arguably his most impressive over hurdles, never coming off the bridle in beating Grands Crus by 5 lengths. This year's renewal doesn't look anywhere near as strong. Will I be disappointed if he is beaten? Yes, of course. But this is...

My possible Aintree team had an easy fortnight after Cheltenham, but we are beginning to step them up in their work now. When I say they were given an easy time, we obviously still kept them active. But this would just involve walking one day, cantering the next, in the first week, then a canter every day in the second week and we gave them some half-speed work last Saturday. However, this week, we will really step it up and see how the horses respond. Then we will start to firm up our Aintree plans. But it looks like we will be going to Aintree with both a strong and fresh team, for various reasons, with everything to play for in the trainers' title. Neptune Collonges is my only runner in the Grand National. From what I have seen there isn't a great deal of rain forecast for...

I imagine many punters will be looking to take on Master Minded on after his performance in the Champion Chase last time - I see he is trading at 6.2 in the early Betfair betting - but if they do they are opposing one of the best horses we have seen in recent decades, so good luck to them! He was certainly off the bridle and up against it when making an horrendous blunder two out at Cheltenham but, although some may disagree, I still think he may have finished third but for that mistake. Leading up to that race he had won three from three this season, two in Grade 1 company, and had looked back to his old self after a summer breathing operation. His last visit to Aintree saw him beaten a long way in this race in 2008, but a second-last blunder knocked the stuffing out of him there,...

A word of warning for Betfair punters - in fact, three. The first is that you can't always trust Cheltenham form at Aintree. Admittedly, three horses won at both Festivals last year - Big Buck's, Peddlers Cross and Albertas Run - but you simply never know for sure what running at Cheltenham, the most competitive of racing environments, has taken out of your horse. Different track, different ground, different day often leads to different results, with the form not standing up. In addition, you never know what has happened to the horses in between. And I can reveal here that I have had a couple of minor scares with Big Buck's and Zarkandar this week. Big Buck's always tends to give me a scare before big races, which is very nice of him. He worked moderately on the Saturday ...

We have made a decision with Mon Parrain, and he goes for the Topham on the Friday at Aintree. Everyone knows how much he surprised, and delighted me, in equal measure at Sandown, and he is clearly a very exciting horse. But for people to talk about him as a Grade 1 horse at this stage is a bit premature, so we have sidestepped the Totesport Bowl on Thursday. At the end of the day he only won a soft handicap off a mark of 133 last time. Of course he was very impressive in winning by 22 lengths, and most people have remarked about his brilliant jumping there. And when he schooled over the National-type fences here he was again awesome. So we think the Topham is the right race for him at this stage of his career, and he looks to have a favourite's chance given luck in-running....

Aintree gets underway on Thursday. Running plans are still to be finalised for a few of my entries but here is my current thinking. Obviously, we will be giving chapter and verse on all my runners each day at 8am at [b]http://betting.betfair.com/horse-racing/paul-nicholls/[/b] during the Aintree meeting, but I thought it would be a good idea to give you my running plans at this stage. Some are set in stone but quite a few of my horses have multiple entries - and a couple in particular have got me scratching my head - but I have to get them right, and so I may leave the final decision on them until I have studied all the entries. [i]Thursday[/i] We run both Big Buck's and Gwanako in the opening Grade 1 hurdle, and I think Zarkandar - I see the Triumph runner-up Unaccompanied...