Hat-trick hero Rubaud cements another big day for Nicholls at Wincanton

Rubaud was made to fight hard for a BetMGM Elite Hurdle hat-trick, as Paul Nicholls enjoyed a treble at Wincanton on Saturday.

The Ditcheat handler has won the Grade Two contest a record 11 times and although the likes of Azertyuiop (2011), Celestial Halo (2009 and 2011) and Zarkandar (2012) have all claimed this prize, dual-purpose star Rubaud has made it his own in recent years.

Although not at his very best, his class came to the fore as the 1-8 favourite answered every call from Harry Cobden to register a length success over James Owen’s likeable Hamlet’s Night.

Nicholls said: “He had a very hard race the other day at Kempton, and he knew he had a race, it took a while for him to get over it.

“I could tell in the paddock that he didn’t look great in his coat, and he has been a bit flat this week. We have had to do the best we could to get him right.

“When we went to Kempton, he had a lot of hard work and he was ready for his life. This week we have had to do things a bit different to freshen him up. He is a good horse that is tough and keeps galloping.

“It’s a testament to him and what a class horse he is that he can come back from a very hard race and win today.”

Rubaud could now revert to the larger obstacles, with Nicholls adding: “We know he is not going to win a Christmas Hurdle, so I don’t want to waste a run. He has won two good races now and if he doesn’t run until after Christmas, I don’t mind.

“He is the sort that could run well in the Silviniaco Conti Chase over two and a half miles as he won the Pendil at Kempton last season.

“There are no more Grade Twos like this until the Kingwell Hurdle back here or the International Hurdle at Cheltenham. The ground could be too soft for him there, but the Kingwell will be a possibility.”

Rubaud’s triumph brought up a Group Two double for Nicholls after Blueking d’Oroux (evens favourite) built on his chasing debut at Newton Abbot to win the Boodles Rising Stars Novices’ Chase.

It is another race the 14-time champion has farmed in the past, with star names such as See More Business (1996), Silviniaco Conti (2011) and Frodon (2016) all previous winners.

However, it is still to be determined if the six-year-old can reach the same heights as those luminaries, with Nicholls suggesting he could be due a step up in trip.

He said: “He obviously stays well, but we always thought he perhaps didn’t want three miles. I think three miles might just help his jumping a little bit in time. It was a good effort today and he got there when he needed to.

“He is not like a big, bold, scopey horse that takes them on. He is always backing off a bit which makes it hard work for you, but he has stuck his head down and galloped all the way to the line. He was brilliant at the last, but he needed that.

“The second horse is no mug (Breaking Cover) as we have been up against him this summer with Centara. His jumping just cost him at Newton Abbot a little bit. It is all experience, and this is what novice chases are about getting experience for the future. I’m delighted with him.”

Nicholls’ third win on the card came in the opening Download The BetMGM App Novices’ Hurdle when daughter Olive Nicholls steered 4-6 favourite Fasol to a two-length victory.