Paul Nicholls: My Tuesday runners at Exeter

Paul is setting his sights on some Tuesday winners at Exeter

Following his successful weekend, there's no let up in the racing for Paul Nicholls as he sends five runners down to Devon on Tuesday afternoon... 

13:50 Exeter - Atlantic Roller

Is out of the Supreme winner Tourist Attraction, so hopefully will prove as good as her over hurdles. That may be asking a bit much but he has schooled nicely and there certainly has been plenty of promise in his two bumper starts, finishing second at Ascot last season and reppearing to finish a length runner-up at Exeter, the pair pulling seven lengths clear. This looks a pretty hot novice though.

14:20 Exeter - Landscape

I made no secret of the fact that he was pleasing me at home prior his debut at Cheltenham last month, so in the circumstances you might assume that I was disappointed with his sixth there, even though I did say he would need the run. But I was pleased with the effort as he took time to warm to his ask, and Ruby got off and said he only really picked up from three out. He could need further than this in time, as he was a decent middle distance horse on the Flat, but I expect him to be much sharper for the Cheltenham run. This looks a good opportunity.

14:50 Exeter - Edgardo Sol

I am still trying to work out how he got beaten off a mark of 128 in a handicap chase at Newton Abbot on his reappearance last season, as he clearly went on to prove himself one of the most progressive horses of the 2011-12 campaign when bolting up by 14 lengths in a handicap chase at Aintree in April. Has obviously paid for that with a big hike in the weights and his record suggests he may just need the run after a break, but you try not to come in undercooked with any horse in a valuable race such as this. Hopefully he is plenty fit enough and, as a 5yo, he will have progressed again over the summer and the ground isn't too testing. Jumps well, which is a great asset obviously. This race has really cut up but I think he has his work cut out off levels against the likes of Cue Card and only getting 3lb from Menorah on what he has shown so far. Having re-read that, it seems a bit negative - let's hope he has progressed as much as my horses at the weekend - as I do think he will go well.

15:20 Exeter - Hinterland

It wasn't the strongest of handicap hurdles but he won well off a mark of 141 at Chepstow on his reappearance and it was tempting to see what he could do in that sphere that season. But Ruby came down to school him a fortnight ago and that made up our minds very quickly. He schooled brilliantly, accurate and quick, and I always thought he would fulfill his potential for me as a chaser. He is clearly one of our top novice chase prospects, and hopefully he will get off to a winning start here.

15:50 Exeter - That'lldoboy

I thought he went to Cheltenham a well-handicapped horse and said so. But perhaps not to the point where it was justified to send him off as 7-2 favourite for a 20-runner handicap chase, not that the betting has anything to do with me. And he was undoubtedly disappointing there, running a bit flat. At least he managed to complete after his falls last season and the handicapper has dropped him 2lb. If he shows what he is capable of and jumps well, then I think he is on a winning mark. But he has to start doing it on the track, so we have put the blinkers back on. But I think the step up to 3m will be more key. In fact, I was going to run him in a three-miler at Cheltenham, instead of the 2m4f race that he ran in, but he got balloted out. I think he has a good chance.