TOP trainer Paul Nicholls has highlighted his best hopes for Betfair Super Saturday at Newbury this weekend.

Champion Two-Mile chaser Dodging Bullets leads the Nicholls charge in the Grade Two Betfair Exchange Chase.

"Dodging Bullets looks absolutely amazing – we are thrilled with him at the moment," Nicholls. "It has been one of those seasons for us, with the injuries to him and several others – it has not been plain sailing.

"He was going to Cheltenham in November before we ran him in the Tingle Creek and the Clarence House but we schooled him one morning and two days later he was hopping lame. For a week afterwards, we could not work out what was wrong with him. Then he threw an enormous splint so we had to give him a month stood in his box and treat it. He had lots of walking and bits and pieces as we waited for him to come sound again.

"For the last eight weeks, we have had absolutely no problems with him and he has had a racecourse gallop as well. He has done loads of work and is fit enough to run really well on Saturday.

Turning his attention to Britain's richest handicap hurdle, the £155,000 Betfair Hurdle, Nicholls explained: "Modus has been one of the favourites for the Betfair Hurdle for a while. He was a good bumper horse – second in last year's Champion Bumper and third at Punchestown.

"We bought him in the summer and sold him to J P (McManus). He won at Taunton first time out and then he won at Newbury, beating Charmix who won by 17 lengths next time. Last time, he was third over Christmas but the ground at Taunton that day got heavier and heavier – basically it was unraceable.

"The Betfair Hurdle is a good race for a novice as hopefully you might be well handicapped but in a year's time you might not be.

"Modus is obviously a high-class horse and we will see if he can win this big handicap. He will get two and a half miles in time but he is not slow - the testing ground will bring his stamina into play."

Nicholls has a good record in the Betfair Denman Chase over three miles at Newbury, with eight wins to his name.

He continued: "Rocky Creek runs in the Betfair Denman Chase and this race has been his aim for a long time. He was second to Don Cossack in the Grade One at Down Royal in November and ran really tidy that day. He then went to Aintree and ran really poorly in the Grand Sefton Chase – we have fairly well worked out that he is not in love with jumping the Grand National fences.

"He always goes well at this time of year. Last year he won the big three-mile handicap chase at Kempton and he has such a high handicap mark now of 160 that I thought it would be nearly impossible to run in that race again, hence the Betfair Denman Chase bid.

"Saturday's race is ideal for him as it is a valuable prize (£50,000) and he does like Newbury. He is a definite runner whatever the ground."

Nicholls also highlighted another horse due to run on Saturday: "Emerging Talent is a young horse who is in the opening novice hurdle on Saturday at Newbury," said the trainer.

"He won at Exeter on New Year's Day and previously ran in the Persian War Novices' Hurdle at Chepstow where he started favourite and disappointed in third. He went straight off to have a breathing operation after that and won very nicely in heavy ground at Exeter.

"He is a big strong chasing type, who will go chasing next season, and we will try and win some more novice hurdles with him. He is unlikely to go for the Cheltenham Festival unless it is one of the handicaps."

Finally, the champion trainer, who is leading in the battle for the title again, highlighted Capeland.

He said: "Capeland won the Listed bumper at Cheltenham on New Year's Day and runs in another one at Newbury. He won a bumper in very soft ground last spring in France and we brought him over.

"I did not want to really go hurdling with him yet as we have so many four-year-olds. We thought he would be better for next year so we kept him for that bumper which he won nicely.

"I suspect Saturday will be his last run of the season. He will then go novice hurdling next season – he jumps brilliantly. He will be a horse to follow."