This time Nicholls can outpoint Pipe's team

14 April 2012

Danny Williams against Vitali Klitschko isn't the only heavyweight clash taking place this weekend.

The two biggest hitters in jump racing will slug it out again at Cheltenham tomorrow, and Paul Nicholls can strike a valuable blow in his battle with Martin Pipe for the trainers' title when Thisthatandtother goes in against Our Vic in the bonusprint.com Gold Cup.

Make no mistake, Our Vic isn't a horse who can be opposed lightly in this £110,000 handicap.

The very fact that Pipe has described him as "the best in our yard" is highly significant. And Our Vic left a striking impression during a light novice season which ended when he finished third behind Rule Supreme in the SunAlliance Chase here in March.

Our Vic travelled like a very good horse for most of the way there and, given that this shorter trip should suit him, thousands of punters will regard the 3-1 as an early Christmas present.

They may well be right, but Thisthatandtother makes most appeal as he bids to confirm the promise of his excellent second behind the Pipe-trained Celestial Gold in the Paddy Power Gold Cup here last month.

Thisthatandtother lined up there after a novice season which yielded four wins and an early fall when favourite for the Arkle Chase at the Festival. He also ran a blinder when second to Well Chief at Aintree, but the performance which makes him stand out as regards tomorrow was his latest one.

Ruby Walsh initially felt he would have won had Thisthatandtother not been checked when Farmer Jack fell two out.

The brilliant Irishman has tempered that view since, but Thisthatandtother needed no excuses for finishing clear of Monkerhostin and Ollie Magern in the hottest handicap chase run this season.

Celestial Gold and Ollie Magern franked the form by dominating in the subsequent Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury, while the fact that a strong field including Tikram and Fondmort were strung out like washingsuggests the Paddy Power form is rock solid.

Tomorrow's field looks just as strong, and Pipe saddles a fascinating second string to Our Vic in the shape of Redemption, trained until recently by Nigel Twiston-Davies.

An enigmatic character, Redemption can boast some smart chasing form including a nine lengths defeat of Claymore at Newbury last November.

Monkerhostin, Massac, Mossy Green and Scots Grey can also show up boldly, but Thisthatandtother gets the vote.

He's a well-handicapped horse from a top yard who jumps soundly and can unleash a telling turn of foot. Ground conditions look ideal, so everything looks in place for him to go very close indeed.

The jury remain out as to whether the old guard among the top hurdlers can maintain their position this winter, but tomorrow's Totesport Bula Hurdle looks sure to answer a few questions.

In theory, there ought to be something coming through the ranks to test the hugely popular Rooster Booster as he approaches his eleventh birthday.

And in practice that horse could be Inglis Drever, who was one of the cream of the novice crop last season and shaped really well by chasing home Noel Meade's Harchibald in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle last month.

Howard Johnson's gelding jumped with his usual accuracy at Newcastle and battled on willingly to finish clear of Royal Shakespeare as the fast-improving winner began to assert. This stiff uphill finish looks sure to bring out the best in him and, given that he seems less of a prisoner to tactics than Rooster Booster, the progressive Inglis Drever looks the value call in what should be a highly informative contest.

Selections for tomorrow's feature races at Cheltenham:

2.40, Thisthatandtother; 3.15, Inglis Drever.

This time Nicholls can outpoint Pipe's team

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