Nicholls To Rest Friend For Aintree

Trainer Paul Nicholls has claimed that he may not run What A Friend again until Aintree in the spring.

The six-year-old recently finished first in the Lexus Chase at Leopardstown following a decent run in the Hennessy Gold Cup in which he came in behind Denman, At The Races reports.

According to Nicholls, while the horse is entered into the Cheltenham Gold Cup in March, it is unlikely that he will feature unless something happens to stablemates Kauto Star and Denman.

He remarked: "He's had two runs now and he'll probably melt a little bit, so my inclination is to leave him fresh and go straight to Aintree and then Punchestown in the spring."

Commenting on What A Friend's style, the handler admitted he does not race as well over soft ground, meaning the conditions in spring will be more favourable.

Those that want to put money on the horse can find him at 16/1 to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup with Betfred(Go to Betfred »), provided he races.

Kauto Star is considered the 11/8 favourite with Bet365(Go to Bet365 »).

Written By:- Simon (About our Authors)
Posted on:- 31/12/2009 - 12:00 PM
Filed in:- Football Betting News