Nicholls is in flying form

Trainers Paul Nicholls and Gary Moore peak just at the right time, and an equine dentist has more to celebrate

- MARCUS ARMYTAGE

Sandown Park, Esher, Surrey

FEW combinations, or rather British combinations, of trainers and jockeys came into Cheltenham Festival in better form than Paul Nicholls and Harry Cobden, a man who is riding with more confidence than ever, and Gary and Jamie Moore.

Whether that has translated to Hermes Allen winning this week's Ballymore Novices' Hurdle (Wednesday) or Editeur Du Gite the Champion Chase, we will know by now. Whether it helps get Bravemansgame over the line in Cheltenham's Boodles Gold Cup remains to be seen, but it is better to be in form going into the meeting rather than out of it.

Cobden was ice cool on Iceo in the Betfair Imperial Cup, a race that no longer carries a big juicy bonus for any horses winning it and at Cheltenham, so the temptation not to pull the Chris Giles-owned five-year-old out again this week will be easier to resist after what Cobden reckoned was a hard race on pretty horrible going.

Iceo looked pretty keen going to the start and Cobden did well to drop him in and switch him off early before picking his way forward and then staying on up the hill.

Even so, the way Knickerbocker glory (Bridget Andrews) jumped the secondlast with plenty of air and a three-length lead, victory did not look certain. But he had reeled in the runner-up by the time they got to the last and he went on to win by three-and three-quarter lengths, very much in the manner of a horse whose best trip will be further.

Nicholls said: "He ran well here a couple of months ago, having been off for a year with a tiny fracture on his cannon bone. We had to give him time and he needed that run. I said one race we will aim for is the Imperial Cup and pray it rains.