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Olive Nicholls is set to take the ride on the Paul Nicholls-trained Paddy Power Gold Cup winner Il Ridoto in Saturday's December Gold Cup at Cheltenham. Freddie Gingell, who was on board for the seven-year-old's aforementioned success at Prestbury Park, was sidelined after a fall at Taunton on Thursday. Olive Nicholls has won eleven races from sixty-five starts under rules, but a Cheltenham victory has so far proven elusive. Saturday's contest represents a valuable opportunity to go better than a number of placed efforts she has already registered at the course.
Coventry Stakes winner Arizona is the latest in a series of stallions to take up duties in Turkey, as the formerly-Coolmore owned son of No Nay Never takes the trip across the Bosphorus to stand at Yigit Stud. Out of Lady Edere, his first crop of runners this season yielded Right And True, successful in the Listed Star Appeal Stakes at Dundalk. Of the rest, seven winners were returned from twenty-eight runners. Arizona is representative of a wider trend in Irish bloodstock, with Group 2 winner Battleground and Group 1 winner Broome both being snapped up by Turkish breeders for their services after retiring from racing.
Willie Mullins' French recruit Kel Histoire made a winning debut in Ireland today, earning quotes of 20/1 (Paddy Power) for the Supreme Novices' Hurdle in March. The €200,000 gelded son of Masked Marvel proved a comfortable winner, applying pressure to the leaders four obstacles from the finish, before mounting a challenge at the last to win going away by three-and-a-half lengths. The J.P. McManus owned four-year-old's victory was the first instalment in a treble across the Cork card for the Master of Closutton, as Spindleberry and Fancy Girl both obliged at short prices to bring up the hat-trick.
At Doncaster, Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero were dominant in registering a 15/1 treble, with Homme Public being the headline act in their success at Town Moor. The seven-year-old French purchase, dropped back in grade, landed the feature 2m handicap hurdle by three-quarters of a length. The first leg of the treble, Melon, won on jumping debut in the 2m juvenile maiden hurdle, earning a quote of 50/1 (Paddy Power) for the Triumph Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival. Consistent performer Gentleman Bill did not disappoint odds-on-favourite backers, winning the 2m handicap hurdle by a comfortable four lengths to seal the three-timer.
