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FIVE OF THE BEST
Welcome to our Five of the Best, where we profile five of trainers to follow in the 2009/10 jumps season.
Here we focus on some of the established names who will be guaranteed to have a big impact on the destination of the top prizes this year, but also pick out a couple of up and coming stars who may have the ammunition and the know-how to compete with the big names.
WEEK 5: ST NICH
4th January 2010
Trainer: Paul Nicholls
Nationality: British
Stable Name: Manor Farm Stables
Stable Jockey/Jockeys: Ruby Walsh
Born in 1962, it is well held that Paul Nicholls is now the undisputed king of National Hunt training after his recent success has enabled him to form a quite impressive list of Grade One victories.
At the age of just 16 upon leaving school, Paul went to Dick Baimbridge's yard where he not only gained valuable training experience but also rode in local point to points. In an attempt to further his career in racing Paul then moved on and joined Kevin Bishop's yard as an assistant and after continuing to ride local point to points for John Thorne and Les Kennard a year later was soon riding conditionally.
Paul eventually settled at David Barons' yard where he enjoyed the majority of his riding success. During a five year period as stable jockey he was soon making a name for himself winning back to back Hennessy Gold Cups on the likes of Playschool and Broadheath in 1986 and 1987. Paul also travelled with Broadheath later that year where he was successful in the Irish Gold Cup.
After a respectable time as a jockey his career as a rider had soon came to a halt in 1989, after an incident pre-season when a horse had kicked out and broke his leg. Paul stayed on for two years as an assistant but then saw it was time to move on and set up his own stables.
In that same year Paul replied to an advert in the Sporting Life to take over at Manor Farm, previously owned by Jim Old. He began his training career at a yard that consisted of 28 stables, but at the time Paul could only fill eight of those spaces, one of which has since gone down in history as Paul's first winner as a trainer, Olveston, who was owned by his father.
Paul has now built Manor Farm into one of the most successful training bases in the world as they can boast welcoming home over 1700 winners which include four Cheltenham Gold Cup winners and four Champion Trainers' Titles.
Training history
As Paul's ever impressive list of national hunt success continues he is currently the proud trainer of 61 Grade 1 winners and below is just a modest tribute as he has won the below races and more at least once
- Tingle Creek Chase
- Hennessy Gold Cup Chase
- Betfair Chase
- Kerry Gold Champion Chase
- Cheltenham Gold Cup Chase
- Ladbrokes World Hurdle
- Queen Mother Champion Chase
- Irish Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup
- Challengers Novices' Chase
- Galway Plate Handicap Chase
- Punchestown Guinness Gold Cup Chase
- Triumph Hurdle
- Challengers Novices' Chase
- Tolworth Hurdle
- King George VI Chase
- Royal & SunAlliance Chase
- Arkle Challenge Trophy
- Maghull Novices' Chase
- Melling Chase
- Future Champion Novices' Chase
- Feltham Novices' Chase
Stable Stars
Chasers
Undoubtedly Kauto Star has captured the imagination of the public with his performances especially at the Cheltenham Festival in the Gold Cup after regaining the most prestigious race on the National Hunt circuit just a year after stable mate Denman had denied the super chaser of consecutive victories.
This term Kauto was taken all the way to the line in the Betfair chase when Nigel Twiston-Davies' Imperial Commander produced an astonishing effort only to be headed on the line by the 9-y-o. He then travelled to Kempton on Boxing Day where he made history with an astonishing decimation of a high class King George VI Chase field, to become the first horse ever to win this prestigious race in 4 consecutive seasons.
Denman's first run of the season on the other hand looked the more comfortable of the two after his determined effort in the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury earned him anti-post favouritism for the Cheltenham Gold Cup in March at 2/1. Kauto soon headed him once more at the top of the tree at 13/8, but a mouthwatering race is in prospect either way.
Prior to the Hennessy Gold Cup Chase at the Newbury Winter Festival, Paul had played down Denman's chances of victory claiming that he believed he would finish no better than fourth or fifth. This was due to the weight Denman was set to carry which had certainly stacked the odds against him. However, this wasn't the case and under a stern ride from jockey Ruby Walsh, Denman dug deep to make all and lands the spoils, seeing off late efforts from stable mate What A Friend.
After an impressive term last time around Master Minded was another horse that the public couldn't wait to see, but in his first outing this season at Cheltenham the 6-y-o fell short climbing the famous Prestbury Park hill and hasn't since had the chance to put the record straight.
Due to the performance of Master Minded that day, Paul decided not to take his impressive two mile chaser to Sandown for a crack at the Tingle Creek but instead gave Twist Magic a chance to show Master Minded he has some tough competition on his hands when fully recovered.
Ruby inevitably got the leg up on Twist, who in turn displayed a magical display of jumping leading from the front to see off challengers which included the likes of Forpadydeplasterer and Well Chief, who had recently beaten Master Minded in the Connaught Chase at Cheltenham.
What A Friend, partly owned by Sir Alex Ferguson, looks to also have a promising season ahead of him after a gutsy run behind Denman in the Hennessy Gold Cup under Sam Thomas, followed by an exceptional Grade 1 Lexus Chase victory in Leopardstown.
Hurdlers
Without doubt the most impressive hurdler currently in training at Manor Farm is Big Buck's, who simply doesn't look like being beaten, producing impressive jumping displays wherever he is taken.
The current Ladbrokes World Hurdle Champion started this term just as he finished the last- in the winning enclosure- after hardly coming out of a canter at Newbury winning seven lengths to Lough Derg.
The 6-y-o was recently an odds on chance to win yet another Grade 1, this time at Ascot in the BGC Long Walk Hurdle but due frozen ground the high profile weekend had to be abandoned by officials. Big Buck's duly obliged in the rescheduled running at Newbury however, and in doing so defeated his main pretenders Diamond Harry and Karabak.
Big Buck's will then go into the new year with consecutive World Hurdles firmly on his mind but the question for all Buck's fans is whether the Paul will one day send him back chasing in the future after an unsuccesful trial at the start of the 08/09 season.
Celestial Halo, like Big Buck's, is owned by the Stewart Family and looks to be the strongest contender for the Champion Hurdle from Paul's yard.
Celestial Halo was a close second last term in the Champion Hurdle which was won by Nicky Henderson's Punjabi but this season has since left trainer and jockey puzzled into the 5-y-o's form, his most recent disappointment came in the Boylesports.com International Hurdle at Cheltenham where he was headed on the run up the hill by Khyber Kim.
Ruby Walsh had expressed his confusion with his hurdler's run as the team at Manor Hill will now look to get to the bottom of the problem with a horse that surely has Champion Hurdle credentials.
This season's Champion Hurdle now looks set to be one of the most exciting yet, with several contenders all performing well and ready to test themselves against the ante-post favourite Zaynar.
Dark Horses
It is well known that Paul's yard is full of superstars, but in terms of eye catchers that the public might not be as familiar with Ghizao looks to be an impressive hurdler.
After only 3 starts, the 5-y-o, owned by a formidable combination of both the Johnson and Stewart families, has shown enough promise to suggest he will soon be winning races regularly at a higher level.
Ghizao won on his first two starts in respectable national hunt races at Newton Abbot and Cheltenham, but after punters couldn't resist getting stuck into the odds on chance at Cheltenham last time out over hurdles he was beaten one length by Nicky Henderson's General Miller.
Finally, Bold Addition also looks to be a horse with plenty of potential and one that shouldn't be overlooked. After winning his open national hunt flat race earlier this year the 4-y-o has since gone on to be placed twice this term in novice hurdle races.
After only three starts the French gelding looks comfortable on soft and good ground and is another horse that will soon be winning races, this season especially.
Ones to watch in 2010
Look out for the following stars in 2010:
- Big Buck's
- Kauto Star
- Denman
- Master Minded
- Twist Magic
- What A Friend
© Matthew Salter, 2009
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