THE 14-times champion jump trainer Paul Nicholls may not have any horses of the calibre of such past Festival greats as
Nicholls has been leading trainer at the Festival six times but not since 2009 when he had the likes of Kauto Star, Denman, Master Minded and Big Buck’s among his squad for the biggest four days in jump racing this season but is still hopeful he can add to his tally of 49 Festival winners in 2025.
Speaking at a stable visit organised by Cheltenham Racecourse and The Jockey Club, the 62-year-old said: “I’d much sooner be going to Cheltenham with horses in those big races but I’ve been incredibly lucky to have done that so many times in the past. I’m not far off 4,000 winners now and have enjoyed every single one. This year I will enjoy it and do the best with what we have got.
“The horses definitely were not right at Christmas when we did the flu jabs – it’s the first time ever since I have been training that I have had horses sick. The six winners we had in January were those who hadn’t been jabbed as that is the way we timed it.
“The horses are coming right now and I don’t know what it is – maybe it’s the way we train or the gallops we use but our horses tend to hate heavy ground and are better on better ground in autumn and spring.
“It has been a quieter season than normal but we are not far off £2 million in prize money. We have just been light on winners but have a lot of young horses I haven’t run much.
“We have a lot of horses to run in the spring although to have a chance to win the championship again we’d need to win the Grand National.
“We have chances at Cheltenham, which is what you want. I am fortunate not to have owners pressuring me and it’s all about running the right horses in the right races.”
Caldwell Potter (Fr)
7yo gr g Martaline-Matnie
We haven’t seen the best of him yet and still don’t know what trip he wants. Mr (John) Hales was adamant he was a two-miler as all his family want two miles but I’m not convinced – he was flat out around Windsor.
He is going to run in the Jack Richards Novices’ Handicap Chase at Cheltenham over two and a half – I hope when the weights come out he’s maybe 145 instead of 147. He is still in the Arkle but it would need to be absolutely bottomless on the first day.
John bought him for the guys after they sadly lost Hermes Allen last year and he was the obvious horse to buy – John was determined to buy him however much he was going to make.
Once they come through the gate, they are all worth the same in my opinion and you can’t do anything different just because he has a big price tag.
To be fair he won first time up and then ran well at Cheltenham and wasn’t too bad around Windsor. He’s a nice horse and will win lots of races for us in the future – maybe a race for him next year would be the Paddy Power Gold Cup.
He has had problems with his feet but we are on top of that now and the more rain, the better. I could see him running well in the novices’ handicap.”
Ginny’s Destiny (Ire)
9yo b g Yeats-Dantes Term
He won three times last season at Cheltenham and ran very well when second (in the former Grade 1 Turners Novices’ Chase) and in the Grade 1 at Aintree when he second as well. Those were a couple of hard races and it has taken him a little while for him to get over them.
He has run OK-ish but not as well we hoped he would in his three runs this season and he takes a fair bit of getting fit. I think we have got him right now and he has dropped down the handicap now to 149.
He will go for the TrustATrader Plate Handicap Chase on the Thursday. He likes the New Course at Cheltenham and we just hope he comes back to form.
On last year’s form you would have hoped he’d be going for the Ryanair but basically he has been disappointing so far this season. I am very happy with where he is now.”
Henri The Second (Fr)
8yo b g Saddler Maker-Rock Treasure
He’ll go the Pertemps Final as long there is a plenty of cut in the ground. He won and run very when second at Sandown this year.
He has crept up the weights but stays forever. He is very like Monmiral and is not on a bad mark of 134 but he does need soft ground so we have to see what the weather does.
Il Ridoto (Fr)
8yo b g Kapgarde-L’Exploratrice
He won the Paddy Power Gold Cup earlier this season and goes for the TrustATrader Plate. The key to this horse is he needs good ground. He had that and a light weight when he won the Paddy Power.
He’s getting close back to his winning mark and loves Cheltenham when there is good ground. He deserves to take his chance and Freddie (Gingell) will ride him again with Harry (Cobden) on Ginny’s Destiny. If it got very testing, we might think twice about running him.
Jubilee Alpha (Ire)
6yo b m Flemensfirth-Queen Alphabet
She runs in the Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle and Harry Cobden will ride.
She has got some great form in the book and last year won her bumper and was second at Aintree.
We give her plenty of time and she was just a bit unlucky on her seasonal debut in a mares’ listed race at Newbury on Coral Gold Cup Day, when she made a couple of green mistakes and only just failed to win.
She then went to Taunton for the listed race there over Christmas and won that very well. That form looks good and she then won at Windsor and that form has also turned out quite good. We ran her a bit quick back at Windsor but I didn’t want to run in desperate ground in the Jane Seymour at Sandown.
She is a smart filly and can’t have done any more than keep winning like she has.”
Just A Rose (Fr)
6yo b m Saint Des Saints-Daring Rose
She goes for the Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle on the Thursday.
We bought her at the Cheltenham sale last year and she wasn’t cheap (£175,000) having won a point-to-point when she beat Country Mile who has done well for Dan (Skelton).
We gave her plenty of time and she bolted in at Taunton (on January 18th) by 25 lengths – Freddie (Gingell) couldn’t pull her up. We haven’t been able to run her since as I didn’t want to run her on desperate ground at Sandown.
She will go to Cheltenham lacking a bit of experience but I think she is quite smart and I don’t think there is a lot between her and Jubilee Alpha.
Freddie (Gingell) will ride her. We like her and she could not have done any more by winning by as far as she did in a fast time – it would be nice to see it again. She has won a point-to-point and plenty of horses have won at Cheltenham off of just one run.”
Kabral Du Mathan (Fr)
5yo b g Pastorius-Nasthazya
He goes for the County Hurdle. He won on his only start at Huntingdon last season but then had a little problem so we left him. He then won at Kempton on his seasonal debut and got beat a short-head in the big handicap hurdle at Ascot just before Christmas. He was a bit unlucky that day when he made a small mistake at the second last when he didn’t want to. He was then second at Windsor when he hated the ground but still ran well.
He doesn’t want it too soft and the aim is the go for the County – on the last two days it’s on the New Course and hopefully you can get decent ground. He’s a real good fun handicapper and it will be chasing for him next season.”
Kalif Du Berlais (Fr)
5yo b g Masked Marvel - Kadika
I think he is a smart horse and I shouldn’t have run him the other day over two and a half miles on very testing ground at Sandown. He is definitely more of a two-miler and has got loads of jumping ability as you saw when he won at Cheltenham earlier in the season.
He is the Arkle but won’t run unless anything happened to L’Eau du Sud.
He’s also in the Grand Annual and now on 152 – I think it will be hard for him to win off that. So, I am minded to keep him fresh and go for the two-mile novices’ chase at Aintree instead.
I think the track would suit him and his jumping style.
Monmiral (Fr)
8yo bl g Saint Des Saints-Achere
He won the Pertemps Final last year and has been running well this season but is in something of a no man’s land off of 149. I suspect he’ll have 12 stone when the weights come out for the Pertemps tomorrow.
We could run him instead in the Stayers’ Hurdle and he has run well in those sort of races at Newbury and Cheltenham this season.
If the main players turn out, probably the best hope is to be placed in the Stayers’ so we have to evaluate if we go again for the Pertemps or the Stayers’.
He looks really well and whatever we run him in he’ll run really well. The plan is to run and we’ll decide which race nearer the time.
No Drama This End (Ire)
5yo gr g Walk In The Park-La Segnora
This is a nice horse, a grey by Walk In The Park. He goes for the Weatherbys Champion Bumper and is going to be a smart horse when he goes novice hurdling next year whatever he does at Cheltenham.
He won his only point-to-point at Badbury Rings for Will Biddick by half the track.
Who knows what that form is worth and we bought him because we liked him.
He went for a bumper that looked competitive at Warwick and he won really nicely. He quickened up nicely without Harry having to ask too much of him.
With bumpers who knows what the form is worth but as long at the ground is soft he’ll go for the bumper and looks one of the best UK horses for that race.
He is not flashy at home and definitely saves his best for the track. We are looking forward to running him.
Shearer (Ire)
9yo b g Flemensfirth - The Crown Jewel
I part-own him now with Max McNeil. Two years ago, he won his two chases at Ludlow and Aintree but then got a leg and had two years off.
We then decided to try and get him qualified for the Festival Hunters’ Chase where Olive (daughter) can ride him. He won well at Ffos Las when he hated the ground and then quickly again at Taunton, when he won to qualify for Cheltenham.
He’s unbeaten in four starts over fences and at his best was rated 139.
He is probably still a good 130s horse and I think will give Olive a really good ride. He’ll stay forever and we just need it all to go right.
He had two years off and then two quick runs but he seems to have come out of them really well.
Olive has already been third in this race on Shantou Flyer and hopefully this horse will give her a great ride.”