Racing: Native Scout ready to take on Nicholls' élite at Ascot

Confident words from Donal Hassett as the Co Clare trainer prepares to take on the might of Britain's leading stable with Native Scout in the Victor Chandler Chase at Ascot on Saturday and provide another form line for the mathematically minded to the season's leading two-mile chasers.

Native Scout was second to Moscow Flyer at Leopardstown over Christmas when, rated 33lb below Jessica Harrington's champion going into the Paddy Power Chase and receiving only 5lb, he ran an excellent race and was only five lengths off the winner at the line.

Now he takes on Azertyuiop, last year's Arkle Chase winner who will shoulder 11st 10lb in the £120,000 handicap, and his stablemate at Paul Nicholls's yard Young Devereaux, who won the Victor Chandler 12 months ago.

"Native Scout will run a big race," Hassett said yesterday. "He's in with bottom weight and the handicapper has put him up 7lb for Leopardstown, so he's well in on Saturday. Whatever beats him will win.

"I'd be confident I'd beat the top weight [Azertyuiop] because I get 1st 6lb off him and if I'd got that off Moscow Flyer I would have given him a right race. He beat me five lengths and Barry Geraghty [on Moscow Flyer] went for the stick before Paul Carberry [on Native Scout]. So, on that run, if I get 1st 6lb off Azertyuiop I should beat him. If the ground comes up easy to soft I'd be confident."

Nicholls, who confirmed his status as the jump season's leading trainer with St Pirran's Sandown victory on Saturday, said: "Young Devereaux has not been easy to train and has had only seven races over fences, winning four of them. But he has been in for a long while and is fit and ready to go."

Azertyuiop was a four-length second to Moscow Flyer in the Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown but missed an intended engagement at Ascot before Christmas. "Azertyuiop had an abscess in his jaw and it stopped me running him," Nicholls said. "It's not going to be easy for him because he has top weight, but I want to get two runs into him, this and the Game Spirit before the Champion Chase."

Nicholls is optimistic about the future of Strong Flow, who cracked a bone in his near-fore knee when winning at Kempton on Boxing Day and is out for the season. "It could have been worse," Nicholls said. "It could have been a tendon strain which would have been a disaster.

"Strong Flow has responded well and we've just got to let it heal. He's got to have eight weeks' box rest. Then we'll X-ray him to check it's healed and we can start light exercise, build him up slowly and then he can go out to grass in April."

A prospective successor to Azertyuiop on the Arkle Chase roll of honour went through his paces in the unlikely surroundings of Plumpton yesterday. Nicky Henderson's Non So was sent off 2-5 favourite for a novices' event but had to work hard for a length-and-a-quarter victory over Tidour. Unsurprisingly, the bookmakers were not impressed and Non So remains 12-1 with William Hill for the Arkle, while Ladbrokes pushed him out to 20-1 from 14-1.

Henderson, who also has Caracciola in the Arkle, said: "They didn't go fast enough for Non So to bring his turn of foot into play. He can go a bit and is ready to join the big boys now."