Adam Nicol is relishing another crack at the sport’s heavyweights with Minella Study, who bids for Grade 1 glory at Aintree in today’s Boodles Anniversary 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle.
The three-time hurdle winner finished third in the Triumph Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, which was won by 50-1 shot Apolon De Charnie for Willie Mullins, and lines up against several of those rivals again.
Nicol believes Minella Study’s underdog status, being from a smaller yard, has struck a chord with racing fans. Mullins and Dan Skelton saddle market leaders Selma De Vary and Maestro Conti, who finished either side of him last month.
Reflecting on the Cheltenham Festival, the trainer said: “It was a massive run. I’d love him to go to Aintree on Thursday and run a similar race, if not better.
“A lot of people were messaging before and after Cheltenham, shouting at the TV for him. I think he’s got quite a following – people like the underdog story. It’s like in the FA Cup when people want to see a lower league team beat the likes of Man City.”
Minella Study heads to Aintree for the first time and, although he won at Cheltenham in December, his trainer hopes the flatter track could bring out more improvement, while Nicol is also confident the quicker ground should suit.
“I think the flat track will help him,” Nicol said. “The weather looks like it’s going to be decent too. I’m not worried at all – even if it went on the quick side, he’ll be fine and bounce off it. He’s got quite a good Flat pedigree and we had the rain before Cheltenham, so this should be more favourable.
“After a run like he had [in the Triumph], it’s a big ask for a juvenile to do it again, but there’s no reason not to have a go. You never really know until you put them back in that sort of environment.”
A victory would provide another notable success for a smaller yard competing against the sport’s biggest operations.
“It would obviously be great if he won,” said Nichol, who is based in Northumberland. “People might start respecting us a bit more. They can’t get away from the likes of Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott, and the bigger yards in Britain, but if smaller trainers get the ammunition, there are plenty out there who can prove themselves.
“We’ve shown what we can do with Wise Eagle over the years and now with Minella Study. If you get the horses, you can get into these races and prove you can do it.
“We know he’s a really nice horse, we just want to get a bit of longevity out of him. At the end of the day, if he’s still flat after Cheltenham and doesn’t win, we’ve got a fantastic horse for next season.”
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