Nicholls leaves Betfair Chase door open for Bravemansgame

PA Sport Reporters
November 6, 2023 10:57 am

Charlie Hall runner-up could make quick return at Haydock if ground is suitable.

Paul Nicholls has indicated there is a possibility Bravemansgame could run in the Betfair Chase at Haydock later this month if conditions prove suitable.

The Cheltenham Gold Cup runner-up narrowly failed to defend his Charlie Hall Chase crown at Wetherby on Saturday when a mistake at the final fence allowed Mouse Morris’ race-fit Gentlemansgame to snatch victory.

It was thought that the eight-year-old would head straight to Kempton in search of back-to-back victories in the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase on Boxing Day, but Nicholls is refusing to rule out an appearance at Haydock on November 25 – a race which was originally slated for Bravemansgame’s seasonal return.

A cracking tussle in our feature, the G2 @bet365 Charlie Hall Chase as Gentlemansgame gets the better of defending champion Bravemansgame for Mouse Morris & Darragh O’Keeffe 🏆 pic.twitter.com/4Pkxyb6wv2
— Wetherby Racecourse (@WetherbyRaces) November 4, 2023

“He’s come out of the race really well, he’s actually had a canter today, and there is still a possibility of him running in the Betfair Chase,” Nicholls told Betfair in his Ditcheat Diary.

“It’s a fantastic race and I love supporting it and have done well in it. Plenty of horses I have had have used that as a stepping stone to the King George and in a lot of ways Saturday was a bit of a racecourse gallop for him.

“He had not been anywhere before Saturday and if we were happy with him and the ground was OK – that is key, I don’t want to give him a hard race, a slog in really testing ground before the King George – but if we had a dry week up to it and the ground was good to soft, then it could be tempting.”

Bravemansgame with trainer Paul Nicholls (Adam Davy/PA)

Reflecting on his Wetherby defeat, Nicholls added: “He ran a super race and it was probably a better performance than a year ago.

“The ground was testing enough for him and you could probably run the race 100 times and get a different result each time, but if he hadn’t made that mistake at the last and had landing running, it could have been a whole heap different.

“He got beat by a good, improving, young, race-fit horse and we paid for a little mistake. It was his first run of the season and I was going to have him nowhere near his best first-time out. Obviously, we want him to step forward from that and he will do.”