PAUL Nicholls admits the pressure is on him to get super Cyrname back to his best in the Ascot Chase.
His ace is set to face a small field as he defends his Betfair Ascot Chase crown in Saturday’s Grade 1.
But Nicholls knows he won’t have it all his own way with a King George disappointment to bounce back from and an improving Riders Onthe Storm to contend with.
He said: “When you have an odds-on favourite there is always pressure on you – because you want to get the right result and you don’t want to let anyone down.
“He is coming back off an underwhelming run in the King George, and the pressure is on me to get him back right, but he is showing me all the right signs.
“He worked very nicely on Saturday morning, so he is bang on schedule. All the rain we have had won’t do him any harm at all.”
Cyrname is currently the 8-15 favourite for Saturday’s race with the obvious threat coming from Nigel Twiston-Davies’ Riders Onthe Storm.
Nicholls added: “It was a good race last year – because you had Waiting Patiently, Politologue, Aso and Fox Norton in it – and it does look a weaker race this year.
“Nigel Twiston-Davies’ horse is on fire and is improving – and you don’t know how much improvement there is. He is the only other one I can really see improving.”
The highest-rated chaser in Britain is entered in the Champion Chase and the Ryanair at Cheltenham but his trainer warns there is little no chance of him turning up.
Nicholls explained: “If he runs on Saturday and gives himself a hard race it would be too close to Cheltenham – and it would be more likely we would think of another plan, perhaps Aintree or Punchestown.
“If he runs on Saturday I would say there is virtually no chance of him running at Cheltenham.”
Stablemate Frodon is unlikely to run unless Cyrname gets injured during the week while Harry Whittington has warned Saint Calvados could also skip the race.
Nicky Henderson will have to choose between Janika and Top Notch, both owned by Simon Munir and Issac Souede, while Gary Moore’s Traffic Fluide looks an outsider.
