Paul Nicholls: The views on my seven NHF runners at Kempton

Sam Winner is one of seven runners for Paul Nicholls today

Kempton host a seven-race National Hunt Flat card today, and with a runner in each race Paul Nicholls spoke to Betfair about the chances of each...

13:45 Kempton - Sky Watch

There are quite a few in here that you can give a decent chance to, and hopefully Sky Watch is among them. He disappointed here on his hurdling debut in October but the rain that fell throughout that meeting was probably against him, and he wasn't quite right afterwards anyway. We saw that he didn't lack pace when winning a Sandown bumper last season.

14:15 Kempton - Pearl Swan

Clerk's Choice is a very good hurdler on his day, Fair Trade was a 100+ Flat performer at his best, and others are in with chances too. So I will be happy with a solid run from Pearl Swan. I have made no secret of the fact that he has had a few niggles since falling in the Triumph Hurdle and we are pressing on with him with a view to getting him to the Betfair Hurdle next month. So he will clearly need this. But his natural class and ability may see him play a leading role regardless, and he had a breathing operation in the summer, too..

14:50 Kempton - Sam Winner

One-time high-class juvenile hurdler, he had been off the track for over a year - he had a small fracture in his knee, which required a couple of screws - prior to his reappearance at Sandown last month. I stressed before that run that he would improve enormously for the race, so I was happy with his fifth there. He is a very fragile horse, and we are aiming him at the Pertemps Final at Cheltenham, so I would be happy with him just having a good blow-out here to maintain his levels of fitness. And I think a certain Peddlers Cross may just take a bit of beating here, anyway.

15:25 Kempton - Themilanhorse

On hurdle ratings, he has a leading chance. And he won his bumper, too, so he isn't slow. But he has to bounce back from a poor run at Cheltenham in November - though the ground was probably to blame there, as he needs a decent surface - and you would have to wonder whether one or two of these will have too much pace for him. But I think he will go well.

15:55 Kempton - Suerte Al Salto

Hasn't been out since finishing runner-up in a couple of Taunton novice hurdles in November. But showed plenty of pace when winning a Fontwell 1m6f bumper and is actually one of the quickest horses we have in the yard, if nowhere near the most talented. As with all these races, there is a fair bit of guesswork involved, but you have to give him a fair shout here. And he will be much more at home on this surface.

16:25 Kempton - Fox Run

This doesn't look one of the strongest of bumpers on the card and the 127-rated hurdler Koup de Kanon may be the one to beat. Fox Run disappointed us when stepped up in class at Cheltenham last time - but, again, the soft ground played a part there - but he had previously impressed Ruby when winning a maiden hurdle over 2m4f at Worcester, where he showed a fair bit of speed. I'd be hopeful he could go close here.

16:55 Kempton - Ranjaan

This bumper will take a lot of winning. Starluck and Michael Flips are both very good jumps horses on their day, and Woolfall Treasure won a 2m Flat handicap here off a mark of 84 here last week by four lengths. But Ranjaan was also a fair horse on the Flat in France, and was a progressive hurdler before he got bogged down in the heavy ground at Ascot on his reappearance. He has each way claims, but these races are primarily about providing a stepping stone fitness-wise on better ground, rather than about the victory.