Nicholls: No need to panic despite coughing

CHAMPION trainer Paul Nicholls on Monday night described a bout of coughing at his yard as "no big deal", but revealed that,with the Cheltenham Festival starting three weeks from Tuesday, Stan James Champion Hurdle second favourite Zarkandar was among a dozen horses on a course of antibiotics.

"There's no need to panic," said Nicholls, though his words were not enough to stop bookmakers from tweaking some festival markets, including that of top trainer, with prices for Willie Mullins and Nicky Henderson cut and Nicholls lengthened.

Last weekend Nicholls saddled several horses who performed below expectations - Betfair Hurdle winner Zarkandar was one of very few who did not - and of 120 in training in his two main yards at Manor Farm Stables and nearby Highbridge, there are "around a dozen" affected by a cough.

Nicholls said: "Like lot of other stables, we've had the odd one coughing on and off since Christmas. Last week there were a couple morethan usual who were affected. My suspicion is that they have picked it up on the course and brought it back to the yard.

"On Saturday morning Zarkandar had a runny nose and was coughing like mad, so he must be some horse to have won like he did at Newbury the day before."

Nicholls added that Zarkandar was on the mend and could start cantering back on Wednesday after his course of antibiotcis, and that other big guns, such as Kauto Star, Big Buck's and Al Ferof, were unaffected.

Nicholls, who has bagged only one winner from his last 31 runners, has been leading trainer at the festival six times, but bookmakers on Monday lengthened the odds of him being in seventh heaven next month in the wake of the news about coughing at his Ditcheat yard.

Blue Square and Paddy Power both quoted top price of 5-2, pushing Nicholls out from 9-4 and 2-1.

Both firms shortened their odds on Willie Mullins and Nicky Henderson finishing top dog at the festival, with Blue Square making Henderson just 7-4 (from 2). Mullins is as short as 11-10 with BetVictor.

Paddy Power, for that firm, said: "Our changes are off the back of information coming out. It obviously will affect horses' chances if their yard is under a cloud, and it could be seriously bad for Nicholls and seriously good for Henderson and Mullins."