Star ready to bowl his rivals over

Today, in the totesport Bowl Chase at Aintree, we will find out if Kauto Star can hit back after his Cheltenham drubbing.

Mill House seemingly never reproduced his best form after being humbled by Arkle in the 1964 Gold Cup and it wasn't until after the latter's retirement through injury that he recovered sufficiently to win the 1967 Whitbread Gold Cup.

But his trainer Paul Nicholls was having none of that yesterday. He said: "Kauto Star has been in fine form since the Gold Cup. He has surprised me a bit and Ruby (Walsh) schooled him on Monday and was very happy.

"You don't need to wind up horses like him — he is easy to train. After all, he won the Betfair Chase, Tingle Creek and King George all within six weeks last season.

"He's a fit horse and he doesn't need much work, unlike Denman. It's easy not to run them but when they are well and giving you positive signs, why not?

"Obviously, there will be some horses from Cheltenham who do not run up to form. All horses get beaten from time to time. But I reckon he ran better at Cheltenham than when he won the year before, according to the statistics and time. He's been in good form all season.

"I'm running Gungadu, too, as he is a hard horse to place now that he is rated 161. He is fresh and well and will like the track and going."

Nicholls is also quietly confident Celestial Halo can live up to his Triumph Hurdle-winning form in the John Smith's Four-Year-Old Hurdle.

He said: "He did have a hard race at Cheltenham but probably so did his main rival Binocular. On a line through Pierrot Lunaire, he should have the beating of Binocular."

Nicholls also spoke in glowing terms of his Champion Chase winner Master Minded, who tackles tomorrow's Melling Chase.

He said: "He's in very good order and I have no worries about the two-and-a-half mile trip. We haven't been hard on him since Cheltenham and a fast run race would suit him."

Nicholls has every chance of breaching the £3 million prize money barrier for the first time tomorrow and a good chance of eclipsing the £3.45m Aidan O'Brien amassed on his way to last year's Flat championship before the jump season ends on April 26.

Nicky Richards, trainer of Monet's Garden, will walk the course before confirming him a runner against Kauto Star, whom he beat in October at Aintree over five furlongs shorter. Richards is concerned about soft going over the extended three-mile trip.

With four Cheltenham winners — Inglis Drever, Ballyfitz, Celestial Halo and Whiteoak — and three runners-up in Kauto Star, Binocular and Franchoek, this is as exciting an opening day to the Grand National meeting as I can remember.

Ollie Magern is lame and will miss the Grand National, leaving the way open for the fancied Philson Run, who was fourth last year, to get into the field. Dun Doire, the next in line, could also scrape in if connections of Opera Mundi decide later today that the going is not soft enough.