Supporters of dual Queen Mother Champion Chase winner Master Minded will be delighted to hear that Paul Nicholls believes the seven-year-old is back to his brilliant best.
Master Minded back to his best says Paul Nicholls
Despite scoring at Cheltenham and Punchestown last spring, Master Minded failed to show the same monstrous form which saw him land the 2008 Champion Chase by a runaway 19 lengths.
An X-ray after his below-par effort at Cheltenham on his seasonal bow revealed a fractured rib and after weeks of treatment, the speedster showed his true colours at Newbury earlier this month to go odds-on with the layers for a hat-trick in the two-mile championship. Nicholls said:
“He is looking like he did two years ago and is the best he has been for a long time. We found he had a problem after running at Cheltenham in that he had fractured his rib and he wasn’t ridden out for six weeks. He did 15 miles a day on the walker but I didn’t think he would be able to run before Cheltenham. However, he progressed so nicely that we ran him in the Game Spirit and he showed his old form. I had a nightmare training him last spring as his muscles kept tying up and he wasn’t at his best at Cheltenham or Punchestown, despite winning. He is now back to his best and I am really looking forward to running him.”
Paul Nicholls and owner Clive Smith could also be represented in the race by Free World, and the trainer added: “We will leave him in both the Queen Mother and Grand Annual and see what weight he gets in the latter.”
