Paul Nicholls primes big guns for Aintree but Frodon earns long break

Frodon, whose victory under Bryony Frost brought the feelgood factor to the Cheltenham Festival, has done enough for the season and will not be seen again until autumn, Paul Nicholls said on Tuesday. The trainer is determined to hold on to his lead in a title race battle with Nicky Henderson and could have used Frodon at Aintree next week or Sandown later in the month but prefers to give the horse a long break, and also indicated he may be without a runner in the Grand National for the first time since 1995.

Nicholls said: “Frodon’s had five hard races and every time he gives an awful lot, and Bryony is injured as well. So it didn’t give me too many options, bar Sandown on the last day and I don’t really want to go there with him.”

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Frodon’s options for the autumn include the Betfair Chase, in which Nicholls thinks three miles round a sharp track could suit. “He’s proved himself a true Grade One horse,” the trainer said. “There is not a tougher, more genuine horse in training.”

Nicholls’s only remaining entrant in the Grand National is Warrior’s Tale but the horse has an alternative entry in the shorter Topham Chase the previous day and the trainer appears to be leaning that way, even though he also has San Benedeto and Adrien Du Pont in the race. “The Topham trip suits him quite well, to be honest with you,” he said.

Nicholls said he “wouldn’t run one for the sake of it” in the National, which he won with Neptune Collonges in 2012. “I took Give Me A Copper out after he fell at Cheltenham. It looks like we might be able to watch it without the stress this year.”

With a lead of £420,000 over Henderson, Nicholls is well placed to wrest back the champion trainer’s title which he last won three years ago. Henderson would bridge that gap in one go if he won the National, offering half a million to the winner, but he is in a similar situation to Nicholls, with just one remaining entrant, Valtor, who is probably not well suited to the race.

Apart from Frodon, Nicholls is aiming at Aintree next week with most of his star horses, including Clan Des Obeaux in the Bowl and Politologue in the Melling Chase. Topofthegame, a winner at the Cheltenham Festival, will also go if he continues to please at home.

A decision has yet to be made about Cyrname, who has made so much progress this season but he might end up waiting for Sandown at the end of April. “He could go to Aintree,” Nicholls mused, “but we have got Politologue for that race and there’s not a lot between Politologue and Altior on the Cheltenham form.

“At some stage we’re going to have to go left-handed with Cyrname but the Celebration Chase at Sandown is worth an awful lot of money. It’s a £150,000 Grade One. He’s very fresh and well.”