The 13-time champion jumps coach Paul Nicholls has loved a cracking begin to the season from his base in Ditcheat, Somerset, with nicely over 60 winners and £1million in prize-money banked already, together with big-race success with the likes of secure stars Frodon, Greaneteen and Bravemansgame.
Chatting with H&H racing editor Jennifer Donald on episode 130 of The Horse & Hound Podcast, Paul credit a change within the horses’ feeding regime for some spectacular performances in current weeks.
“We did change the feed this season,” he says. “For some purpose final 12 months I used to be by no means actually proud of the horses and even within the spring a few of them have been operating actually ordinarily. There’s simply been an entire turnaround this autumn.”
Martin Pipe holds the report as a 15-time champion coach, however Paul is eager to match, if not beat, that concentrate on and, with over 3,500 winners to his identify in a profession spanning over 30 years, the subsequent large milestone to goal for is the 4,000 winner mark.
“They’d be good milestones to realize in the future,” says Paul. “Everybody’s blissful at Ditcheat, they’re all working exhausting and when the horses run nicely and look good, and we get the outcomes we’re getting in the mean time, it makes life loads simpler I can guarantee you!”
Among the many present crop of secure stars that may hopefully be in motion once more quickly are Greaneteen, who will likely be heading to the Tingle Creek at Sandown Park subsequent weekend (3 December), hoping to retain the crown he received final 12 months, whereas Bravemansgame’s subsequent goal is the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day.
There are additionally some very good novice chasers within the ranks to control, together with Gelino Bello, Stage Star and McFabulous. So is Paul allowed to have favourites?
“Everybody is aware of that when Kauto Star was in coaching, he was considered one of my favourites,” says Paul, who trains 150 horses break up between two totally different yards, then has an additional 50 children throughout a number of pre-training yards and Will Biddick’s nursery for the three-year-olds.
“You at all times like these good stylish horses and one I’m notably keen on now could be Bravemansgame, as a result of he’s fairly a personality and he’s clearly fairly good. However you wish to deal with all of them the identical, they’re all good horses – you simply wish to be sure that they’re blissful and wholesome and match to carry out to their greatest.”
How did all of it start for 13-time champion coach Paul Nicholls?
Considerably surprisingly for somebody who has made equine historical past, coach Paul Nicholls doesn’t come from a horsey background.
“My father was within the police pressure, my grandfather was within the police pressure – there’s no reference to horses in any way,” says Paul. “However my dad purchased me some using classes once I was about six and I received hooked.”
He inherited a love of racing from his grandfather.
“My grandad used to observe racing and was nice pals with [trainer] Geoff Scudamore and used to go to him on his each day beat,” says Paul. “I simply received hooked on racing after that.”
Paul cast an early profession within the saddle.
“I might hardly describe it as nice!” says Paul, who began off in point-to-pointing for coach Dick Bainbridge. “I in all probability learnt as a lot from him as anyone. I realised if I wished to coach in the future I wanted to become involved within the sport, so I rode as an novice for a bit then I rode just a few winners as knowledgeable, I used to be fortunate sufficient to win the Hennessy Gold Cup [now the Coral Gold Cup, run this weekend, 26 November] at Newbury twice. So I used to be fortunate sufficient to be in the correct place on the proper time and rode three or 4 very nice horses.
“However I used to be at all times actually hooked on the coaching to be sincere with you.”
Coach Paul Nicholls: ‘That was an actual turning level for me’
The catalyst for the change to coaching got here when Paul was kicked by a horse at dwelling, leading to a 12 months off, after which the subsequent step was to change into assistant coach to David and Jenny Barons.
“We had a variety of enjoyable with them and received the Grand Nationwide in 1991 with Seagram,” says Paul.
However with none monetary backing, Paul was struggling to make the break to arrange on his personal, till by probability he noticed a labeled advert within the Racing Submit that will change his life – and result in one of many biggest eras in sporting historical past.
“It mentioned ‘28-box yard in Ditcheat, Somerset, for lease – profitable applicant could have the assist of the owner’ and that was Paul Barber,” explains Paul Nicholls, who has now skilled from this idyllic setting for greater than 30 years. “As you may say, the remaining is historical past.”
After slowly constructing his coaching institution from an authentic eight horses, however struggling to actually make a reputation for himself, his first Cheltenham winner got here in 1999, when he racked up a exceptional hat-trick with Flagship Uberalles, Name Equiname and See Extra Enterprise, who received the Gold Cup.
“As you possibly can think about, that was an incredible second for us,” displays Paul. “That was an actual turning level for me – if it hadn’t been for these three horses, I in all probability wouldn’t be right here now.”
To listen to jumps coach Paul Nicholls speaking extra about his coaching regime and what it could imply to win one other Gold Cup, tune in to episode 130 of The Horse & Hound Podcast – pay attention right here or search “The Horse & Hound Podcast” in your favorite podcast app.
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