Graham Cunningham's Festival File Part Four | Making Ditcheat Great Again?

Rebel with a cause as Nicholls keeps it in the family

Ayr on Scottish National day in 2005 and a long, punishing battle for the trainers’ title takes a crucial turn.

Ruby produces Cornish Rebel with precision timing but the mercurial chaser absolute hound pricks his ears, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory as he gifts the Scottish National to Joes Edge.

Second to arch-rival Martin Pipe for the seventh year running that spring, Paul Nicholls must have wondered if he would ever seize the crown.

And twenty years, fourteen titles, 49 Festival winners and an OBE later, the old king must be wondering if that crown is gone for good.

Salute to the Sun’s Jack Keene for revealing that Nicholls is planning to rely less on big spending agent Tom Malone and more on multi-tasking daughter Meg to source elite prospects.

Time will tell if duplicating the Donald/Ivanka dynamic pays off but those who think Nicholls has lost a step solely because of recent sub-par talent spotting might do well to study the wider picture.

The Ditcheat golden age was built on the brilliance of genuine superstars and top liners like Kauto Star, Denman, Master Minded, Big Buck’s, See More Business, Azertyuiop and Neptune Collonges.

But the men who trusted those stars to Nicholls are no longer with us and important younger supporters like Chris Giles have decided to head in a different direction.

No yard can lose such powerful support without feeling the pinch and, with leading UK owners flocking to Ireland and JP throwing his weight behind key rivals, some regression was always on the cards.

Now don’t get me wrong, they haven’t been living with the gas turned down at Nicholls Towers and Fergie and dem boys and Johnny de la Hey have backed their man strongly.

For MAGA read MDGA

But, with dynamic Dan on a roll and ageless Hendo supping from a Cabernet fountain of youth, racing’s Sir Alex needs transfer windows that deliver Ronaldo and Rooney rather than Djemba-Djemba and Kleberson.

Punchy as ever on Luck On Sunday, Skelton hesitated briefly, almost tellingly, when asked if his old boss can reclaim the title before summing up by saying “don’t poke the bear.”

The bear may have a slightly sore head caused by celebrating after Pic D’Orhy ended a year-long G1 drought with a blazing display in Saturday’s Ascot Chase but Paul’s Festival squad – some decent handicap hopes, a Bumper contender and two Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle chances – shows the scale of the challenge ahead.

The table tells its own tale and, with twice as many runners and winners as his old boss, Skelton is priming his Festival team with a cushion of around £600,000 as he closes in on a first title.

A Nicholls National win could produce a dramatic plot twist but Skelton is dead right in saying this bear won’t hibernate until he wins one more title to draw level with his old nemesis.

Remember, this is the chap who responded to the Pipe-trained Cyborgo carrying See More Business out in the ’98 Gold Cup by saying “frankly, I was in the mood for violence.”

And it’s also the man whose reaction when Neptune won the 2012 National was to reference his cherished championship and say: “That’s blown Nicky out of the water.”

I’m not convinced Donald telling Ivanka to drill baby drill will right the 2025 ship but I’m damn sure the old king is hungry enough to come roaring back with the right support.

Younger UK-based rivals are making their mark but none of them, the bold Dan included, have ever trained a horse who would make it close to the top ten in Nicholls’s Hall of Fame.

So frankly, I’m bang in the mood for Donald Paul and Ivanka Meg trying to blow Dan and Nicky out of the water.

All they need now is an Elon to fund the drilling project and the Betfair lads to knock up a job lot of “Make Ditcheat Great Again’ baseball caps.

Head trumps heart as Warrior gets down and dirty

And, just like that, here comes the awkward transition to the next big race.

You may have missed it amid Cheltenham and Aintree chat but the first major global Flat festival of 2025 takes place in Riyadh next weekend and I’m conflicted about the $20m Saudi Cup.

My heart says Romantic Warrior will handle a daring dirt debut in a field diluted by the absence of various elite Americans and last year’s runaway Dubai World cup winner Laurel River.

But my head keeps reminding me that Hong Kong’s intrepid Warrior faces a major challenge on an alien surface with a Japanese dirt samurai like FOREVER YOUNG up against him.

This colt was immature when getting up late to win the Saudi Derby last year but he’s thrived in five runs since, finishing placed in the Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup Classic before opening his G1 account at home over Christmas.

The two Tesoros – Wilson and Ushba – were behind him with no apparent excuses in Japan and sole American raider Rattle N Roll is in much deeper than when trouncing the locals recently.

Romantic Warrior will pose a massive threat if he handles the desert dirt but the ‘if’ is sizeable even allowing that he has fine gate speed and has trialled powerfully on Sha Tin’s AW surface.

Put simply, Forever Young is the sole proven world-class dirt colt left in the richest race on the planet.

And romance aside, this feels a lot like a 2pts win job – especially if patriotic World Pool punters send the Warrior round at money on again.

Final Shot

Patrick Mullins reports that ‘why are you here’ is the cry from grizzled locals as he continues his pot hunting northern tour. We’re betting without David Jennings and Pat Healy here - but it sounds a bit like being an English media member arriving in an Irish Press room, so.

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