Talk of a bid to secure a record-equalling 15th National Hunt trainers’ championship might no longer be the priority it once was for Paul Nicholls, but as those in attendance at his Owners’ Open Day on Sunday witnessed, his passion for the sport remains as strong as ever.
With Willie Mullins forcing Nicholls to play a supporting role in the race to be crowned champion trainer for the past two seasons, there will be plenty thinking that the Ditcheat handler is no longer the force he once was. However, that is far from the case.
Not even passing thunderstorms, which threatened to wreak havoc before sweeping through, could dampen the spirits of the 14-time champion trainer, who proudly paraded 80 members of his equine team in front of more than 200 guests.
As for those that think owners are now more focussed on supporting the new order, one glance around those assembled in the grounds of Manor Farm Stables, with the likes of Max McNeill, Ged Mason and Dai Walters all in attendance, suggested a very different picture.
'I have no chance in title race'
With the likes of last season’s Grade One heroes Caldwell Potter, Pic D’Orhy and Kalif Du Berlais spearheading a team brimming with talent it is easy to see why the 63 year old is excited for the months ahead.
Nicholls said: “I think we have some very smart horses. We have lost a few owners like Gordon and Su (Hall), but that is one of those unfortunate things that happened.
“We have got some nice young horses, with the likes of Kalif Du Berlais, Regent’s Stroll and Pic D’Orhy, and horses like them. We have just got to run them in the right races and keep building that team.
“I’m not even thinking about the trainers’ championship as I have no chance. I will be honest with you at the moment, does anyone think I can win it? No.
“Dan (Skelton) has got the best part of 300 horses on board and he will be impossible to beat and if Willie gets the bit between his teeth, and runs all them horses again, then they will both be hard to beat.
“We have between 125 and 130 horses, which is enough for anyone. One of the best years I only had eighty horses. I will always be a 14-time champion trainer, and no one else can say that apart from Martin Pipe. It is wonderful to be in that situation.
“I might have been obsessed with winning the trainers’ championship, but I’m not anymore. If I’m in a situation after Christmas where I had won some of those big races, you know me I will give it a go, but it is not the be all and end all for me anymore
“You heard me talking about these horses today and the passion for it is still amazing.”
For most yards saddling 99 domestic winners, which included three at Grade One level, along with amassing more than £2.5 million in prize money would be seen as a successful one in the eyes of most.
But while not grumbling about those achievements Nicholls, such are the high levels he has set himself, believes it was a campaign that could have been even better had things started on a brighter note.
He added: “Last season I don’t think the horses were ever really right and it was really doing my head in. We had a bit of ringworm at the start of the season which never really went away and we just struggled a bit for whatever reason.
“But we have had a great spring, and summer, and we are currently operating at a forty three percent strike rate so the horses are running really well, and they look absolutely brilliant.
“You can’t have every season a fantastic one and these are going to happen from time-to-time.
"We didn’t have a bad year as we trained nearly one hundred winners and having those Grade One winners was brilliant, but some people expect too much.”
And it is not just his latest equine recruits that the master of Manor Farm Stables is excited about with a number of new faces arriving as part of a shake up of his staff roster to further put an additional spring in his step.
He added: “We have got two new assistant trainers, (Charlie St Quinton and George Edgedale) and my daughter Olive as a pupil assistant. They are young, and enthusiastic, which is brilliant. We have got some new owners and there is a good feel about the place.
“You need a good team and I’m glad Olive is on board as she is the eyes and ears for me.
“It is good to start the season off doing this as I think the last three years we haven’t been able to do an open day.
“If Kalif Du Berlais, Regent’s Stroll and Caldwell Potter can win those big races it would give me more pleasure than anything.
“It is changing with all these young trainers coming through the game, but I’m realistic to know where we are, however I love it as much as ever.”
More from Sporting Life
- Free bets
- Racecards
- Fast results
- Full results and free video replays
- Horse racing news
- Horse racing tips
- Horse racing features
- Download our free iOS and Android app
- Football and other sports tips
- Podcasts and video content
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.
