New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas was arrested Friday night and faces charges for simple battery and criminal mischief.

Thomas, 30, was arrested without incident after a confrontation with a construction worker near his home and was released late Friday night, police said.

Thomas is expected to travel with the team and play in Sunday’s game in Minnesota, multiple media outlets reported Saturday.

The Saints have not issued a statement about Thomas’ availability Sunday, saying only that the team is “aware of the incident and we are gathering information.”

According to police, Thomas was upset that a construction crew working on a nearby property had parked in front of his home. A construction worker told police that Thomas yelled at him and “verbally threatened to harm him.”

Thomas then threw a brick at the worker’s truck, police said, and knocked the man’s phone out of his hand so he would not be recorded on video.

A two-time All-Pro, Thomas has 38 catches for 439 yards this season, playing in each of the Saints’ nine games. The 2019 Offensive Player of the Year played in just 10 combined games in 2020-22 due to various injuries.

Katie Boulter backed “tough cookie” Jodie Burrage to bounce back from her nightmare Billie Jean King Cup debut.

Burrage has established herself as British number two this season and her first call-up for her country was long awaited but she collapsed under the weight of the occasion, losing 12 of the last 13 games against Sweden’s Kajsa Rinaldo Persson, who is ranked nearly 300 places lower than her.

The 6-4 6-1 scoreline was all the more disappointing given Burrage won the opening four games, and it put Britain in a difficult spot in a tie for which they are overwhelming favourites.

They ended the first day at London’s Copper Box level at 1-1 thanks to Boulter, who produced another convincing display in the competition, beating Caijsa Hennemann 6-2 6-1.

Boulter said of her good friend’s disappointment: “It’s part of tennis. There’s always going to be matches that we win and some that we lose and I think how you pick yourself up is what’s going to define you.

“She’s a tough cookie, I can assure you, she’s been through a lot of surgeries, she’s been through a lot of tough moments and she knows how to pick herself up.

“The girl played very, very well and we’ve got a battle going into tomorrow. They’re going to have a swing, they’ve got no pressure at all. We’re going to fight our little hearts out for it.”

Rankings often are not a great indicator of success in this competition and Burrage is far from the first player to fail to handle the occasion, but even by those standards this was some collapse.

She made 23 unforced errors in the first set alone, often missing by feet rather than inches as Persson reeled off eight games in a row.

Burrage fought back tears as she said: “I’m very proud to represent my country, I’m very disappointed that I didn’t get everyone a win today. That is going to stick with me for a while.

“It’s tough to take. I have not felt like this, and even the nerves before, ever, even stepping out onto Centre Court doesn’t compare to this.

“It’s so different when you’re playing for a team. That type of pressure I’ve never really understood before, and I don’t think you ever do until you do it. That’s why it hurts even more because I’m hurting for other people.”

Whether Burrage gets a chance to make amends on Sunday must be highly questionable, with captain Anne Keothavong also able to call upon the more experienced Harriet Dart or Heather Watson.

“Jodie’s earned the right to go out there,” said Keothavong. “She’s had a fantastic year. It’s going to be a tough one for her to take but she’s got to find a way to bounce back if she’s going to keep putting herself in positions for selection.

“As a former player, I feel for her. That court can feel really small. For that to happen in front of a home crowd, it’s a tough one for her to take, but she will bounce back and she will learn from this.”

Britain must win two of the three rubbers on Sunday to secure victory and maintain their position at the elite level of the competition.

Swedish captain Johanna Larsson, who is without her top two players because of injury, was quick to emphasise that all the pressure is on Britain.

“I would expect her to say that, and she’s right,” said Keothavong. “We’ve got some work to do tomorrow. Tonight we have to keep the positivity high and remember why we’re all here.”

Jack Draper set his sights on qualifying for the ATP Finals next season after narrowly failing to pick up a first tour title at the Sofia Open.

The 21-year-old was the youngest British player to reach an ATP Tour decider since Andy Murray in 2009 but he was unable to find a way past wily French veteran Adrian Mannarino.

Mannarino, 35, has been in excellent form and one break in the deciding set proved enough for him to secure a 7-6 (6) 2-6 6-3 victory in the Bulgarian capital.

But this week has been another reminder that, if fit, Draper can be a force at the top of the game and he believes he could be among the leading eight players in the world in 2024.

Citing the swift rise of last year’s Sofia runner-up Holger Rune, he told reporters in Bulgaria: “Hopefully that’s the same for me. Obviously I’m disappointed I lost in the final but I’ll keep working and hopefully I do well next year and can be in Turin.”

Draper dropped serve in the opening game but hit back straight away and there was nothing to choose between the pair until the first point against serve at 6-6 in the tie-break.

The powerful Englishman found the perfect response with a break at the start of the second set and looked to be in the ascendancy going into the third.

But Mannarino began to apply some consistent pressure to his serve and a break for 4-2 proved the crucial moment, with Draper unable to convert two chances in the final game.

It has nevertheless been an excellent week for the young Londoner, who was on a nine-match winning streak after lifting a title on the second tier Challenger Tour last week in Bergamo.

“I think there wasn’t much to it to be honest,” said Draper. “It was a really tight first set. Adrian’s obviously played a lot of matches this year. He’s having a great season. And fair play to him. I guess sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, and today wasn’t my day.”

Draper’s rapid progress has stalled this season because of injury, notably a shoulder problem that caused him to miss Wimbledon, but he believes he used the time away wisely.

“I feel so motivated to want to work so hard every match for every point and compete well,” he said. “And I think with the time I’ve missed off the court, that really helps me coming on to the court, because I haven’t been able to have the opportunity to play as many events.

“I just had a long hard look at myself. I felt like there wasn’t much that I’d done wrong. Watching lots of the tennis was really difficult and seeing my ranking drop.

“But I went straight back to it, worked really hard on my physical state and worked hard mentally to get myself back in a position that, when I was fit, I was able to perform at the highest level again and be better than I was. I’m just proud of the way I’ve come back after such a tough year.”

Draper is next set to be in action in Great Britain’s Davis Cup quarter-final against Serbia in Malaga later this month, where it would be a big surprise if he was not given the nod as the second singles player.

Katie Boulter pulled Great Britain level in their Billie Jean King Cup play-off against Sweden after a nervous Jodie Burrage suffered a nightmare debut.

The 24-year-old appeared to have settled well when she opened up a 4-0 lead on Kajsa Rinaldo Persson, ranked nearly 300 places lower, in the first match at London’s Copper Box but she then lost eight games in a row and fell to a 6-4 6-1 defeat.

Britain were overwhelming favourites going into the tie to win it and stay at the elite level of the competition, with Sweden missing their two highest-ranked players through injury.

And they should yet find a way through after Boulter again proved a steady pair of hands, defeating 532nd-ranked Caijsa Hennemann 6-2 6-1 to leave the tie level at 1-1 heading into Sunday’s concluding day, where two more wins are needed to secure overall victory.

Whether Burrage gets another chance must be highly questionable, with captain Anne Keothavong also able to call upon the more experienced Harriet Dart or Heather Watson.

Rankings often are not a great indicator of success in this competition and Burrage is far from the first player to fail to handle the occasion, but even by those standards this was some collapse.

She made 23 unforced errors in the first set alone, often missing by feet rather than inches as Persson’s comeback gathered pace, and lost 12 of the last 13 games.

The occasion has been a long time in coming for Burrage, who was unhappy to be overlooked for the last two teams, and she fought back tears as she said: “This event is nothing like (anything else) in tennis.

“I’m very proud to represent my country, I’m very disappointed that I didn’t get everyone a win today. That is going to stick with me for a while.

“It’s tough to take. I have not felt like this, and even the nerves before, ever, even stepping out onto Centre Court doesn’t compare to this.

“It’s so different when you’re playing for a team. That type of pressure I’ve never really understood before, and I don’t think you ever do until you do it. That’s why it hurts even more because I’m hurting for other people.”

Boulter spoke about a full-circle moment on Friday after finally making it back into the top 100 this season, four years after the back injury she suffered in leading Britain to victory over Kazakhstan at the same venue, which ruled her out for more than six months.

There have never been any concerns about the 27-year-old’s ability to produce on the big stage and although, like Persson, Hennemann played well above her ranking, Boulter was able to overpower her from the back of the court.

The world number 58 opened up early leads in both sets and saved all five break points she faced.

Gesskille finally got his moment in the spotlight over Aintree’s Grand National fences with a brilliant performance in the BoyleSports Grand Sefton Handicap Chase.

Trained by Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero, he was beaten a nose by Al Dancer in this race 12 months ago before again having to settle for second in the Becher Chase a month later.

However, there was nothing left to chance this time as Henry Brooke bounced out the seven-year-old and never missed a beat as he once again showed his love for the unique test the famous spruce presents.

At the elbow Gesskille held a narrow advantage over last year’s third Percussion and Laura Morgan’s charge was unable to reel in the 100-30 favourite, who kept on stoutly for a two-length victory.

Greenall said: “Courses like here and Auteuil seem to suit him – just the once round; he seems to get a bit sick of a tighter track and not enjoy it so much.

“He was quite sour when we first got him – he’s by Network and they can be a bit tricky, and they start racing quite young in France, and he likes something to brighten him up, like these fences.

“After finishing agonisingly close last year, winning this is more like a relief, really. The blinkers have definitely improved him. He needs to go up a bit more in the handicap to get into the Grand National, but he could be a contender.”

Another who thrives on Merseyside is Dan Skelton’s West Balboa (8-11 favourite), who claimed a competitive handicap at Aintree during the Grand National Festival and returned to win the BoyleSports Acca Boost On Horse Racing Hurdle.

It was a third-straight success for the improving seven-year-old, who also won the Lanzarote Hurdle last season, and her handler has big ambitions for later in the campaign.

Skelton said: “We needed to see she had stepped forward and to beat a horse like him (Brewin’upastorm) in what was effectively a graded race makes me very happy.

“This time of year horses are going to need a run and Harry said she took a blow. She had been working nicely at home, although as a stayer they are never going to burn the gallop up. Last year she improved a great deal from her first run and I hope she can from this.

“I’m not sure where we’ll go next. She’ll get an entry in the Long Walk (at Ascot) and see what the opposition looks like and also the Relkeel on New Year’s Day (at Cheltenham).

“We’d like to get her to Cheltenham this year and I’m confident she’ll be a more comfortable horse at three miles in the spring.”

Gentleman At Arms (9-1) was runner-up here in the Grade One Sefton Novices’ Hurdle in 2022 and made a welcome return to the winner’s enclosure in the Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle.

The victory secures Stuart Edmunds’ charge a potential spot in the series final at Cheltenham in March, but the handler is unsure if he will make the final line-up for that contest.

“He was second here in the Sefton Novices’ Hurdle and he probably overachieved there,” said Edmunds.

“He was a fresh horse against tired horses from Cheltenham and it’s taken a while for him to get back to where he can be competitive again. I ran him over fences and probably scared him a bit – he’s not overly big and it might have just frightened him a little bit.

“I doubt he’d get into the Pertemps Final at Cheltenham, but there’ll be some nice handicaps for him. He can go on better ground than this as well. He’s a very versatile horse. He’s done us well.”

Lucinda Russell’s Giovinco (5-6 favourite) gave away a golden opportunity at Carlisle last time when making a mishap at the third last, but made amends by taking the BoyleSports Best Odds Guaranteed Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase.

Assistant trainer Michael Scudamore said: “Back on track. What happened the other day was frustrating, rather than anything else.

“He showed the engine was still there today, and with that weight (11st 10lb) and those conditions, it looked a good performance. He’s certainly put any questions in our heads to bed.

“He’s a beautiful-looking horse, very athletic, owned by a great bunch of people and has got plenty of nice targets to look forward to off the back of that. He obviously stays very well.”

There was a double on the card for Russell when Rocheval scored at 15-2 in the concluding BoyleSports Extra Place Races “Junior” National Hunt Flat Race.

Gordon Elliott enjoyed another good day at the office as the trainer claimed the first five races at Down Royal.

Elliott arrived on a high having sent out six winners at the track on Friday and he picked up where he left off in the opening Lisburn And Castlereagh City Council 3-Y-O Hurdle, with Jack Kennedy and 1-4 favourite Wodhooh hitting the target.

The filly is a former Flat performer and has won twice over hurdles since joining Elliott from Sir Michael Stoute, with this success likely to lead to a step up in grade.

Elliott said: “She’s tough and he (Kennedy) said it probably would have suited more if they had gone faster. He said he was kind of on his own in front and she was looking around her.

“She’s tough, she has won three now and she hasn’t done anything wrong.

“She will probably go to Newbury now for the Listed hurdle on December 2.”

Next was the turn of Down Memory Lane, a JP McManus-owned five-year-old who had a point-to-point and a bumper victory under his belt as he came into his hurdles debut the 2-7 favourite.

Under Derek O’Connor, the gelding won by three lengths despite a less than fluent jump at the last in the Tayto Group Maiden Hurdle.

“Derek was very happy but it wasn’t a wonderful race on paper, so you would be disappointed if he didn’t do that. I liked what I saw there,” Elliott said.

“We’ll get him home and see how he is and make a plan, I think we’ll stick to two miles at the moment.

“He has loads of boot and Derek seemed to be fairly happy, and he doesn’t say much, so he looks a good one.”

The Listed Haslem Hotel Handicap Hurdle was then won by Magic Tricks and Carl Millar, a two-length triumph at odds of 5-1.

“Carl gave him a nice ride, he’s got a chance this young lad. He’s with us a couple of years and he has waited his turn and is working hard,” Elliott said.

“He was riding ponies around Dublin two years ago and has come on a long way. He’s going to get plenty of chances. In fairness, he did exactly what we told him to do.

“He (Magic Tricks) has had a few problems, but it is great to do that. Cheekpieces might have helped him today.

“If he didn’t win today, I was going to go chasing with him, but I don’t know now – we’ll see.”

Gerri Colombe obliged in the feature Ladbrokes Champion Chase, after which Elliott scored for a final time on the card as Kennedy and Ash Tree Meadow won a two-runner renewal of the Grade Two racingtv.com/freetrial Chase as the 8-15 favourite.

“We didn’t put him in the John Durkan. We will probably give him a break now as he has been in all summer and we will train him back for some of the Grand Nationals next year,” Elliott said.

“I could run him in the Grand National (at Aintree) in the spring. We were going to go to the American Grand National with him, but he is a French-bred and couldn’t go with his bloods.”

Elliott also sent out two winners at Gowran, taking his tally over the two days to 13.

He added: “A great day but, as I said before, I am very lucky with the horses I have and all the staff. I’m delighted for all the owners too.”

Rubaud brought up a fabulous Wincanton four-timer for Paul Nicholls with a dominant display in the JenningsBet Elite Hurdle.

Sent off the 1-2 favourite in the hands of Harry Cobden, the five-year-old was always to the fore and dealt with the brief challenge of Gary Moore’s Hansard with the minimum of fuss to run out a four-and-a-quarter-length winner.

It was Rubaud’s fourth successive victory having thrived at Kempton on his reappearance and he now looks set for a potential clash with Constitution Hill at the Sunbury track in the Christmas Hurdle.

“He is just improving rapidly,” said Nicholls. “He goes a gallop, he jumps and he quickens. He sprinted away from the back of the last there and you wouldn’t know what is in the back of the tank. We like improving horses like that.

“It was a nice race at Kempton Park and he has improved since then. I loved the way he quickened over the back of the second last after he winged that. I could see Harry was sat in front just waiting.

“The plan is to go to the Christmas Hurdle on Boxing Day then come back here for the Kingwell after Christmas. When they start improving, you don’t know where they will end up and the Christmas Hurdle will give us a marker where we are.

“Someone has got to take Constitution Hill on. We will go there and if we finished second we will be delighted.

“He will be a lovely two-mile chaser next season. We will just pick our races this season with him.”

Knappers Hill proved a fitting winner for the champion trainer as he carried the famous colours of Nicholls’ late landlord and great friend Paul Barber to victory in the Boodles “Rising Stars” Novices’ Chase.

The seven-year-old is now owned by Barber’s sons, Chris and Giles, in partnership with Paul Vogt and last year’s Elite Hurdle winner produced an exceptional display to open his account over fences and score on the card for the second year running.

The victory enhanced the trainer’s exceptional record in the race, with Betfair cutting Knappers Hill to 20-1 from 33-1 for the Turners Novices’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.

Nicholls said: “It is great that all of Paul’s family are here today. Paul would have been proud of that. He has been so good to me, and I’ve missed him a lot this year. He left a big hole in my life. This has been the target, to try to win this.

“I’m a bit emotional really as Paul would have loved that. He loved that horse as well. He went to see him every day. To see him win in his colours, he would have absolutely loved that. That was brilliant.

“We purchased him together at the Goffs Land Rover (stores) sale and he has just never stopped winning. He will run in Paul’s colours this season which is brilliant. The boys will love this.”

Nicholls suggested Newbury’s Coral John Francome Novices’ Chase on December 1 as a possible next port of call.

The Ditcheat handler got on the scoreboard in the very first race when Meatloaf took the EBF Stallions “National Hunt” Novices’ Hurdle in taking fashion.

A bumper winner at the track in the spring, this was the perfect hurdling bow and his handler believes he could be a Grade One operator before the season ends.

Nicholls said: ““He is a smart horse and I like him a lot. He won two races last season, and he was not beaten not far at Cheltenham (on New Year’s Day). He will get better with experience.

“He is sharp and two miles is fine for him. He might even progress to run at Aintree in that Grade One (Formby Novices’ Hurdle on Boxing Day).”

Nicholls’ afternoon got even better in the Boodles Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Chase when Huelgoat wore down 3-1 favourite Enjoy Your Life.

It continued a fine weekend for conditional rider Freddie Gingell, who won Friday’s Haldon Gold Cup at Exeter, and the champion trainer was eager to praise the young jockey.

He said: “He was on the floor at the cross fence, but it ended up being a good result. Freddie gave him a super ride. I’ve sort of aimed him at this race.”

Nicholls was denied a five-timer when Fergal O’Brien’s 7-2 favourite Horaces Pearl edged out Ditcheat’s Roman Roy in the concluding Join The Harry Fry Racing Syndicate Open National Hunt Flat Race, while Anthony Honeyball supplemented his victory in the feature Badger Beer Chase by claiming the JenningsBet Richard Barber Memorial Mares’ Handicap Hurdle with 18-1 shot Good Luck Charm.

Brian Ellison made the most of switch to the all-weather for the Virgin Bet November Handicap as Onesmoothoperator enjoyed a fortuitous victory.

The contest is usually the finale of the British Flat season on the turf at Doncaster, but flooding forced the fixture on to Newcastle’s synthetic surface instead.

The move inspired Ellison to enter his five-year-old in the race and veto an intended run in a Sedgefield novices’ hurdle.

The decision proved a wise one as Onesmoothoperator, who had raced in midfield under Ben Robinson, snuck through on the inside rail in the final furlong.

From there he locked horns with Charlie Johnston’s Struth but came out on top to succeed at odds of 15-2 by a neck.

Ellison said “We weren’t even going to run him in it until it got switched to here, we were going to take him to Sedgefield for a novice hurdle!

“We bought him to go hurdling. This has been a lucky race for me, I’ve won it three times now.

“He likes it here, though, he needs them to go a strong gallop and he got a brilliant ride. He made his move around the top bend and you know you have to be up the rail.

“I think the horse has deserved a big one because he’s a funny one, you have to ride him for luck. Luckily enough today they got racing early and it all worked out.

“More than likely we’ll still go hurdling but he must have good ground. He’s an absolutely brilliant jumper.

“We’ve run him once over hurdles but they absolutely walked round and that was no good to him, he finished second. We might give him a pop just for a change. We’ll see what’s around.”

Jack Draper missed out on a first ATP Tour title as he was edged out by Adrian Mannarino in the final of the Sofia Open.

The 21-year-old was the youngest British player to reach an ATP Tour decider since Andy Murray in 2009 but he was unable to find a way past the wily French veteran.

Mannarino, 35, has been in excellent form and one break in the deciding set proved enough for him to secure a 7-6 (6) 2-6 6-3 victory in the Bulgarian capital.

Draper dropped serve in the opening game but hit back straight away and there was nothing to choose between them until the first point against serve at 6-6 in the tie-break.

The powerful Englishman found the perfect response with a break at the start of the second set and looked to be in the ascendancy going into the third.

But Mannarino began to apply some consistent pressure to his serve and a break for 4-2 proved the crucial moment, with Draper unable to convert two chances in the final game.

It has nevertheless been an excellent week for the young Londoner, who was on a nine-match winning streak after lifting a title on the second tier Challenger Tour last week in Bergamo.

Draper is next set to be in action in Great Britain’s Davis Cup quarter-final against Serbia in Malaga later this month, where it would be a big surprise if he was not given the nod as second singles player.

Jodie Burrage suffered a nightmare Billie Jean King Cup debut as hot favourites Great Britain fell behind against Sweden at London’s Copper Box.

The visitors were without their top two players through injury, leaving 372nd-ranked Kajsa Rinaldo Persson as their number one, but she overcame a rankings gap of nearly 300 places to defeat Burrage 6-4 6-1 in the opening rubber of the play-off tie.

Burrage had led 4-0 in the first set but from there completely collapsed, losing eight games in a row and 12 of the next 13 as Sweden took a 1-0 lead.

Burrage was unhappy to miss out on selection for the last two teams and had more than justified her debut with a strong season, breaking into the top 100 for the first time and establishing herself as the clear British number two behind Katie Boulter.

She could not have asked for a better start, saving break points in the opening game and then breaking serve twice in a row.

But Burrage’s confidence proved fragile and the occasion began to overwhelm her as Persson worked her way calmly back into the set.

Routine shots from the 24-year-old were flying yards long and her unforced error count hit 23 as a sixth game in a row went the way of Persson.

The capacity crowd of 5,500 tried to lift her in the second set and she finally stopped the run of games against her to make it 1-2, but she could not mount a comeback, with Persson now playing well above her lowly ranking.

Blackjack Magic showed plenty of heart to repel Threeunderthrufive and claim the 62nd Badger Beer Handicap Chase at Wincanton.

One of four in the field for Dorset handler Anthony Honeyball, the eight-year-old was sent off a 5-1 chance in the hands of Rex Dingle and was in the ideal spot during the early exchanges, keeping close tabs on The Big Breakaway, who usurped defending champion Frodon at the head of proceedings.

With a circuit to run, Dingle moved his mount forward to join The Big Breakaway on the front-end and turning for home with just the fences in the straight to jump, there was only Paul Nicholls’ 3-1 favourite Threeunderthrufive going just as well.

The duo matched strides down to the second last and the last, but it was Honeyball’s charge who cleared the final jumping test with more precision and pulled out extra with the winning line approaching to secure a three-length success.

Bryony Frost and Frodon, last year’s race winners, came home 14 lengths adrift of the front two in third.

Gerri Colombe galloped to a dogged success in the Ladbrokes Champion Chase at Down Royal.

Gordon Elliott’s gelding was one of a top-class field of four contesting the Grade One, with Elliott and Henry de Bromhead each responsible for two horses.

The quartet travelled as a group for much of the race and turning for home any one of them could have gone on to win, though Minella Indo was the first to fold and Gerri Colombe switched sharply from one side of the track to the other.

Conflated and Envoi Allen were left to jump the last in unison and it looked as though the latter horse may have the advantage, but Gerri Colombe was steadily gaining ground on the outside and just got his head in front to prevail under Jack Kennedy.

Knappers Hill got off the mark over fences with an exceptional display in the Boodles “Rising Stars” Novices’ Chase at Wincanton.

A winner of the Elite Hurdle on the card 12 months ago, the seven-year-old suffered defeat on his chasing bow at Chepstow but took a huge step forward at the Somerset track, producing a foot-perfect round of jumping in the hands of Harry Cobden.

It enhanced trainer Paul Nicholls’ exceptional record in the race, with Betfair cutting Knappers Hill to 20-1 from 33-1 for the Turners Novices’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.

Knappers Hill was sporting the famous colours of Paul Barber, Nicholls’ late landlord and close friend whose two sons, Chris and Giles, now own the gelding in partnership with Paul Vogt.

Nicholls said: “It is great that all of Paul’s family are here today. Paul would have been proud of that. He has been so good to me, and I’ve missed him a lot this year. He left a big hole in my life. This has been the target, to try to win this.

“I’m a bit emotional really as Paul would have loved that. He loved that horse as well. He went to see him every day. To see him win in his colours, he would have absolutely loved that. That was brilliant.

“We purchased him together at the Goffs Land Rover (stores) sale and he has just never stopped winning. He will run in Paul’s colours this season which is brilliant. The boys will love this.”

Nicholls suggested Newbury’s Coral John Francome Novices’ Chase on December 1 as a possible next port of call.

The Ditcheat handler got on the scoreboard in the very first race when Meatloaf took the EBF Stallions “National Hunt” Novices’ Hurdle in taking fashion.

A bumper winner at the track in the spring, this was the perfect hurdling bow and his handler believes he could be a Grade One operator before the season ends.

Nicholls said: ““He is a smart horse and I like him a lot. He won two races last season, and he was not beaten not far at Cheltenham (on New Year’s Day). He will get better with experience.

“He is sharp and two miles is fine for him. He might even progress to run at Aintree in that Grade One (Formby Novices’ Hurdle on Boxing Day).”

Nicholls’ afternoon got even better in the Boodles Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Chase when Huelgoat wore down 3-1 favourite Enjoy Your Life.

It continued a fine weekend for conditional rider Freddie Gingell, who won Friday’s Haldon Gold Cup at Exeter, and the champion trainer was eager to praise the young jockey.

He said: “He was on the floor at the cross fence, but it ended up being a good result. Freddie gave him a super ride. I’ve sort of aimed him at this race.

“It was just a matter of him jumping well enough, which he did, bar one mistake at the cross fence which he did well to recover from. Freddie is improving rapidly and he is a good lad.”