Nicholls Can't Split Cyrname Or Clan Des Obeaux And Neither Can The Betting Market

11 time champion trainer Paul Nicholls has stated that he can not split the two market rivals Cyrname and Clan Des Obeaux in their attempts for the King George VI Chase on Boxing Day.

Nicholls will be sending four runners into the Kempton feature race and still thinks it is not the strongest team he has ever had in the race, having won the event 11 times in the past with some out and out superstars.

Dual King George VI Chase winner Clan Des Obeaux tops the entries for the Boxing Day feature race with his stablemate right alongside him, with the pair of them both being 15/8 with most bookmakers to land the event.

Frodon and Real Steel are the other two horses making up Nicholls four strong attack on the race, but he reveals that even with such talent heading into this year's renewal his team is not as strong as when he used to train Kauto Star.

(Credit ATR) Nicholls said: “I don’t know if I can say this is my strongest hand – that would have been any year I had Kauto Star running for me, because he was virtually unbeatable!

“I’ve got the first and second favourites who both have great form at the track and the other two – it’s a great team of horses to have, I’m very lucky.

“People always ask me what I think and I tell the truth, I don’t think there’s anything between Clan and Cyrname.

“Clan is the defending champ, he’s won two and you do get horses winning multiple King Georges. To win three would be brilliant, but Cyrname has a good record around Kempton and is in a completely different place compared to last year.

“The other two, on all known form, are running for place money. You never know in racing, but I think Frodon and Real Steel have got it all on to beat Clan and Cyrname.

“I don’t think there’s much between Cyrname and Clan. Clan has the advantage as he has such a great track record and has won the last two, so it will be very interesting.”