It'll be hats off to Nicholls

Admittedly, Royal Auclair was left trailing once the impressive winner sprinted clear at Aintree, but he battled on willingly under the excellent Christian Williams and is clearly holding his form extremely well.

Of course, it's impossible to say whether that hard race will have set him back.

However, Royal Auclair does have conditions to suit him in a race which lacks the strength in depth you normally expect of a £150,000 handicap.

Take the extensive Pipe contingent, for example. Comply Or Die has a fine chance based on his best form but folded tamely when lumbered with my money in the Scottish National last week. Don't be surprised if he bounces back with a much better effort tomorrow, but most of the others need to leave recent form well adrift to figure.

The lightly-raced Zeta's River is in better fettle and should go well, while the wellsupported Kelami is another with strong claims as he chases a £250,000 bonus for his win in the William Hill Chase at Cheltenham. The enigmatic Inca Trail and rejuvenated Whitenzo have also been strong in the market this week, but in a very tricky contest Royal Auclair looks as good a call as any.

The irony of the fact that he used to be trained by Pipe will not be lost on Nicholls, and at 8-1 or thereabouts he looks a fair each-way option to provide one final dramatic twist to this memorable title tussle.

If the Betfred Gold Cup is the main course on Sandown's biggest day, then the £100,000 Betfred Celebration Chase should be a wonderful appetiser.

Pipe and Nicholls supplied nine of the 16 entries at the five-day stage, but provided a busy season hasn't left its mark only two should really matter.

No prizes for guessing that Well Chief and Azertyuiop are the pair in question. And no prizes for guessing that there is little between them at their best.

Azertyuiop and Well Chief have crossed swords three times already this season. Round one went to Azertyuiop by a whisker as the pair chased home the mighty Moscow Flyer in the Tingle Creek Chase here in December, while round two went the same way courtesy of a decisive success in Newbury's Game Spirit Chase.

Round three in Cheltenham's Champion Chase went in clear-cut fashion to Well Chief, but Azertyuiop lost all momentum there with a jarring blunder at the water jump. Nicholls feels he has him back on song now. And if that's the case then Azertyuiop can call the tune again over his old rival.