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Nicholls enjoys life at the top

DITCHEAT, England - The clatter of hooves along the meandering lanes of the tiny Somerset village of Ditcheat — listed in the Domesday book of 1086 — provides a constant reminder to its 750 or so inhabitants that racehorses are a permanent feature here.

Tucked away at the north end of the parish, in sight of a 17^th-century manor house, lies the most powerful jumps racing stable in Britain, home to Cheltenham Gold Cup winners Kauto Star, the leading chaser of his generation, and Denman.

From this base, five-times champion trainer Paul Nicholls has sent out more than 1,800 winners since a broken leg ended his stuttering career as a journeyman jockey and enabled him to fulfil a lifelong dream by gaining a training licence in 1991.

Nicholls came to prominence when See More Business landed the 1999 Cheltenham Gold Cup, one of three winners for the Gloucestershire-born son of a policeman at that year’s Festival, and he has not looked back since.

“I had always wanted to train, it’s all I’ve ever been interested in. I never imagined in the first eight years I trained I would be as successful as this and all of a sudden to have three winners at the (Cheltenham) festival in ‘99 it took off,” Nicholls, 48, told Reuters.

“You just want to be successful...we have a lot of decent horses, a lot of owners. You want to do your best for everybody and at the end of the day it’s nice being champion trainer, obviously, but that doesn’t mean it’s always going to happen.

“We are running a business, we employ 55 people now...we owe them a living...it’s a big thing, just to continue to be successful and keep enthusiastic. I’m enjoying it as much as ever and I’m as enthusiastic as ever.”

Nicholls began training with eight horses. Backed by local landowner, dairy farmer and award-winning cheesemaker Paul Barber, he can now accommodate 82 horses at his facilities at Manor Farm, with others housed at satellite yards nearby.

Uphill Gallop

Horses are worked on a flat, five-furlong gallop in a field close to Barber’s cheese-making factory, and a steep uphill all-weather gallop which climbs 71 metres — an energy-sapping and stamina-building workout that the trainer credits for his success.

The gallops are maintained by Nicholls’s father Brian who is out early every morning in all weathers on his tractor.

“It took me a few years to get it set up, we have a great team here,” said the trainer.

“You are only as good as the team around you, I call it ‘Team Ditcheat’. Dad is here, Mr Barber my landlord is a mate, there is a lot of people involved in it to make it happen and everybody gets on with it and it works.”

From the moment his alarm clock goes off at 6 a.m. and he makes the short journey to his stables, Nicholls lives and breathes racing.

“It’s a 24/7 job, every day and at weekends. On a Sunday morning if I’m not racing I like to spend the morning in the office ringing owners in a bit of peace and quiet. And Sunday evening I might be doing entries and things like that.”

Retaining his motivation is never a problem. The constant supply of big-race winners see to that.

“Every weekend you can go to the big meetings and have the good horses running...to have horses like Kauto Star, Denman, Big Buck’s...that’s what keeps you going...and also the challenge of finding the next ones,” he said.

“Just winning big races, running a successful operation and getting a lot of pleasure out of it is what means so much.”

Leading Lights

Chasers Kauto Star, Denman and Master Minded, as well as top-class staying hurdler Big Buck’s, are the leading stable lights.

Master Minded raced over the Cheltenham fences on Saturday, romping home in one of the prestige events and giving Nicholls one of four victories at the track during the afternoon.

The Gold Cup exploits of Kauto Star and his stable neighbour Denman have caught the public’s imagination in recent years. The pair are on course to clash again at Cheltenham in March, one year on from their much-hyped showdown which disappointingly fizzled out when 2007 and 2009 winner Kauto Star fell and 2008 champion Denman chased home Imperial Commander.

In his autobiography “Lucky Break”, published last year, Nicholls ranked Kauto Star and Denman as one and two in his list of 10 favourite racehorses.

Both are now 10 years old and Nicholls knows that time will eventually catch up with his equine superstars; but not just yet.

“The great thing about Kauto and Denman is that they are still fit and healthy. What normally stops horses progressing at that age is injury and niggles and, touch wood, we haven’t had that,” he said.

“You wouldn’t know he (Kauto Star) was any different to when he was seven. But (age) it has to catch up sometime...that’s why I think this could be their last year, Gold Cup wise, at the very, very top level.

“I’m not saying this is their last year but one would assume probably. I’m very lucky to have them and I hope I can manage them right.”

For Nicholls, the challenge ahead is to unearth another champion to emulate his beloved Kauto Star, who will next appear on a racecourse on Dec. 26 when he bids to win a fifth consecutive King George VI Chase at Kempton Park. He is not overly optimistic.

“To find another one like Kauto...we’ll keep looking but I would say impossible.”