Nicholls has big guns in great shape

Paul Nicholls has laid out preliminary plans for his huge army of superstars at Ditcheat.The likes of Kauto Star, Denman, Master Minded and Celestial Halo have all started out on the long road which will eventually lead to the Cheltenham Festival."Kauto Star has just starting out cantering quietly and we are building him up. It's still the plan to run him at Down Royal in November (in the James Nicholson)," Nicholls told At The Races."Denman summered the best he has for some time and he looks fantastic. He returned from his Aintree fall fine and we've just checked him over and everything's in good order. He's a Gold Cup horse. He's won it and ran a cracker in it last year when we were so proud of him and that's the race we're going to aim him for. "He'll have an entry in the Hennessy, and the Betfair Chase if Kauto doesn't go there."I had a terrible time training Master Minded in the spring and he's not an easy horse to train."Hopefully he'll go to the Paddy Power meeting at Cheltenham in November and then the Tingle Creek, the Victor Chandler, the Game Spirit, if it's on, and then Cheltenham. He wants a few runs and he's better off having a run every three weeks than not."This year Celestial Halo has summered well which he didn't do last year. If we don't have the problems with him like last year I hope he'll be all right, but I think it's going to be a tough Champion Hurdle this year."