Paul Nicholls ponders Cheltenham Festival for Stage Star after strong performance off top-weight
- Planet Sport writer
- 28 January 2023
Stage Star put himself in contention for the Cheltenham Festival with a fine display of jumping on Trials Day.
A Grade One winner over hurdles, Paul Nicholls' seven-year-old was making just his fourth start over fences having got his chasing career back on track at Plumpton earlier this month.
Sent off the 11-4 favourite for the Timeform Novices' Handicap Chase and carrying top-weight of 12st, the son of Fame And Glory produced an exhibition round from the front end to coast home the best part of four-lengths clear of runner-up Datsalrightgino in the hands of Harry Cobden.
In the aftermath, Coral went 10-1 from 25s for the Grade One Turners Novices' Chase at the Festival, but his future target appears still to be decided.
"He has shown what he is made of today. It has just taken him a little while to get right," said Nicholls.
"He won the Challow last year and we thought he was good. He was very good at Warwick then it all went wrong at Newbury. I think that day several horses didn't enjoy the ground and he hung. He had a nice confidence booster at Plumpton and he has done that very nicely.
"It is a big weight to carry around there and do that well. I'm thrilled with that. I thought he was nicely in off 142. He is only a novice and he has a bit of experience around here and it means we can come back here in March if we want to in one of the novice chases. He was a Grade One winner last season and he is obviously a very nice horse, 142 was a very nice mark if he put it all together.
"That (the Cheltenham Festival) is a long way off. He would get three miles, but it depends on the ground and opposition. He will be well worth running. He is only a novice once.
"I thought the ground was that bit softer how he likes it today and he is a novice and I wasn't sure I wanted to go three miles at Newbury as I have something else for that anyway. There are not lots of options for horses like these.
"The top-weight should be the best horse in the race if it all goes right and I think 142 was a fair mark. He is a Challow Hurdle winner and he should be a 150 horse in time.
"He will be a smart chaser. He is just getting his act together and we are learning how to train him. The day at Newbury he was beat the ground was very quick. He is much better on that ground."
