Nicholls has confidence in Betfair hope Calipto

Paul Nicholls has drawn similarities between his 2012 winner of the Betfair Hurdle Zarkandar and his representative this year, Calipto, ahead of Saturday's renewal at Newbury.

While Zarkandar had better form as a juvenile, winning the Triumph Hurdle and following up at Aintree, that meant he was competing off a handicap mark of 151.

Calipto looked an unlucky loser in last year's Triumph as he was hampered by fallers and then his tack broke rounding the turn for home, leaving him virtually unrideable.

Second on his return to action this season, he has subsequently had a breathing operation and Nicholls thinks there is a room for manoeuvre off his current rating of 143.

"He worked great on Thursday morning. It's a very competitive race as you'd expect, but we're happy with him," Nicholls told At The Races

"We all say in racing 'if' is a big word (in reference to the Triumph Hurdle), but he ran a nice race in the circumstances and won twice at Newbury last year, so the track suits him.

"Arguably, because he's been off for a while, he could be well handicapped, but we'll see.

"He mirrors Zarkandar for me in many ways. He's coming back fresh, which helps, and he's definitely got a great chance."

"He mirrors Zarkandar for me in many ways. He's coming back fresh, which helps, and he's definitely got a great chance." - Paul Nicholls, trainer of Calipto

Nicky Henderson has won the valuable race more times than anyone else and saddles two this year in top-weight Sign Of A Victory and his stablemate Vasco Du Ronceray.

He said: "Sign Of A Victory is a better horse on good ground but we are pretty keen on running him as there is nothing else before Cheltenham and what is he going to run in at Cheltenham?

"He is still in the Champion Hurdle but we had funny issues, nothing to do with the horse, prior to Kempton and I cannot believe you saw him at his very best that day. He wasn't going to beat the winner Faugheen in a million years but he should have been second.

"He just didn't get home after travelling well. I know it was soft but I think he can be a bit sharper than that. He is getting stronger and more able to cope with soft ground.

"He would have to run an incredible race in the Betfair Hurdle to go for the Champion Hurdle.

"The Betfair Hurdle is a great race with a great prize. Barry (Geraghty) was keen to come on to the Betfair after he rode Sign Of A Victory at Kempton. If there was really bad ground, that would be a worry.

"Vasco Du Ronceray always looked like he would be all right but things did not just go his way last season and we had a few issues.

"He was good first time out this season in November and then he went a bit quiet on us but for the last three weeks he has been in very good form.

"He is sharp enough, will handle the ground and he would have a realistic chance."

Dan Skelton won The Ladbroke last year and believes he has a chance of claiming another big prize with Fascino Rustico, a winner at Newcastle only recently.

Skelton used to be Nicholls' assistant and Fascino Rustico was trained in his early days by the champion trainer.

"When he was with Paul he fell twice when he would have won and John Hales (owner) always said he'd support us and kindly sent him to us. We're very lucky to have him and Paul has been very supportive and given us lots of information about the horse," said Skelton.

"I think Newbury will suit him, it has a long straight and you have a long time to make your challenge.

"He cost a lot of money because he's an impressive individual.

"You'd say he has the size and scope for fence but he needs to brush his technique up first.

"He's high up in the betting and I am sure there's a race of this ilk in him, if not Saturday then one day."

John Quinn won the race in 2011 with Recession Proof and his two runners, Chieftain's Choice and Forced Family Fun, both run off exactly the same handicap mark as he did, 134.

"Neither of them have done much wrong. Forced Family Fun ran poorly on the Flat last time but that might have just been Southwell," said Quinn.

"Chieftain's Choice is progressing nicely, I've been very pleased with him and I hope he'll run well.

"Both of them have a chance and they are nice horses."

Grand National-winning trainer Dr Richard Newland runs Ebony Express, who was successful in his first two starts over hurdles but disappointed last time out.

Newland, who saddled 2007 runner-up Overstrand, said: "He definitely wasn't right at Catterick as he came back coughing. There's a chance this race might come a week or two too soon for him, but we will see.

"He has been working well and seems in good form, so we are looking forward to it."

"In an ideal world, I wish it was over a furlong or two further on Saturday. - Chris Gordon, trainer of Lightentertainment

Chris Gordon's Lightentertainment has been in terrific form, winning five of his last six, and scraped into the field as the last runner.

"I did not think he would get in but he has and we must take our chance," said Gordon.

"It was a good performance at Cheltenham. He got a little bit tapped for toe coming down the hill but Tom (Cannon) was not hard on him, let him find his feet and he came home really well.

"In an ideal world, I wish it was over a furlong or two further on Saturday. I'm sure they will go a real good gallop in a race like that and we know our horse will be doing his best work at the finish.

"The betting tells you how competitive it is but our horse is really healthy and it would be great if he can run into a place."

Cheltenian reverts to hurdling having had a run over fences this season.

He was fourth behind Splash Of Ginge last year.

"Fingers crossed he'll run very well. He ran well in defeat in a novice chase at Doncaster. He's a big horse and I'm sure he'll improve from that. This is a valuable prize and worth going for," said jockey Richard Johnson.

"He ran well at all the Festivals last year. He was third at Punchestown and fourth at Aintree and was going rather well but stopped quite quickly coming up the hill at Cheltenham.

"A flat track round Newbury suits him well."

Harry Fry has two interesting runners in Activial and Jolly's Cracked It.

Activial was third on his return in the Ladbroke when a mistake at the second last proved costly, while Jolly's Cracked It met with his first defeat over jumps when second in Sandown's Tolworth Hurdle behind L'Ami Serge.

"Noel (Fehily) said he was nearly on the floor at the second-last (on Activial) so it was a good effort to get back up for third," said Fry.

"He was staying on all the way to the line and while we felt we had him spot on going there, it was his reappearance so you'd like to think he's sharpened up for a run.

"He seems to have improved at home and you'd like to think he's on an upward curve.

"Jolly's Cracked It is a novice but was put in his place last time at level weights, so we thought we'd see if we were well handicapped off 140.

"Novices have a good record in this and if he goes well there's still a possibility he could head to Cheltenham."

Harry Whittington has been training for even less time than Fry and his Arzal was third behind Fry's Supreme Novices' Hurdle hope Jollyallan. He has Paul O'Brien taking 7lb off.

"It was a no-brainer to let Paul ride him as he knows him better than anyone having ridden him every morning," said Whittington.

"After his run on Boxing Day we decided to try and change the way we trained him to try and get him to settle better. He'd always led the string at home but now we drop him in and it seems to be working.

"He's not as free as he was so while we'll ride him prominently he doesn't have to make it, we'll see. He's really grown up."

Willie Mullins' Wicklow Brave is the sole Irish-trained runner in the race.

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