Latest news with #Ditcheat
Scottish Sun
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Paul Nicholls set to lose host of horses including ‘brilliant' serial winner as he plots yard refresh with daughter Meg
All the top trainers are chopping and changing their teams SQUAD REFRESH Paul Nicholls set to lose host of horses including 'brilliant' serial winner as he plots yard refresh with daughter Meg PAUL NICHOLLS is set to lose a host of horses at the upcoming sales - including a serial winner and unraced £140,000 potential star. The legendary Ditcheat boss has joined rival Nicky Henderson in putting a load of runners under the hammer - as part of the regular end-of-season refresh. 1 Paul Nicholls, who is to put nine horses up for sale at Doncaster, will target a squad refresh over the summer under the watchful eye of daughter and bloodstock expert Megan Credit: Getty It comes as Nicholls will aim for a squad overhaul over the summer under the watchful eye of daughter Megan. Among the nine horses Nicholls will have up for sale at Doncaster later this month is a 'brilliant' five-time winner. Bryony Frost waxed lyrical about Ioupy Collonges after the Neil and Alfie Smith-owned seven-year-old won at Perth last year. She said the son of Kitkou, who has more than £45,000 earnings from 12 career runs, was 'big and bold' in the Class 3 novice handicap chase. And he proved that was no fluke with a £10,000 win over 3m1f last Boxing Day at Wincanton, taking his mark to 126. He is lot No666 in the Spring HIT/PTP sale, with Nos 663-665 also being consigned by Nicholls under the Manor Farm Stables banner. Among them is former Grade 1 runner Farnoge, who fired a quickfire double under Harry Cobden at the tail end of 2023. While top owner Johnny de la Hey has decided the time is right to offer Wrappedupinmay to another owner. The seven-year-old gelding won an Irish point-to-point by 30 lenghts on debut and finished outside the top three just once in seven runs under rules before being pulled up at Wincanton in January. While the Stewart Family, who continue to run horses in the silks of late legendary owner Andy Stewart, have also decided to flog Onethreefivenotout. Named after Ben Stokes' legendary 2019 Ashes innings at Headingley, he has won three of his 11 career races after being bought by Nicholls and bloodstock expert Tom Malone for £125,000 the same year as Stokes' heroics. The nine Nicholls horses for sale Just Lucky Sivola Wrappedupinmay Onethreefivenotout Golden Photo Fortunate Fella Farnoge Hugos New Horse Rickety Bridge Ioupy Collonges Of the nine horses Nicholls is set to sell on behalf of his owners, arguably the most interesting is the unraced Golden Photo. A £140,000 buy by Nicholls and Malone in June 2023, the five-year-old son of Authorized has never made the racecourse. But he had been purchased by the late John Hales, who won the Grand National with Neptune Collonges and owned a load of top horses with big mate Sir Alex Ferguson. Golden Photo's dam, Diteou, is a sister to dual Gold Cup king Al Boum Photo. While the horse himself is a half-brother to 2m4f hurdle winner Golden Point, suggesting staying trips are firmly on his agenda. Sun Racing told you Nicholls will target all the big sales with the help of daughter and ITV Racing pundit Meg this summer. Nicholls and Malone have formed a formidable team in recent years. But the 14-time champion trainer is looking to shake things up for the autumn after seeing protege Dan Skelton battle it out with Willie Mullins for top honours last season. FREE BETS - GET THE BEST SIGN UP DEALS AND RACING OFFERS Commercial content notice: Taking one of the offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. You should be aware brands pay fees to appear in the highest placements on the page. 18+. T&Cs apply. Remember to gamble responsibly A responsible gambler is someone who: Establishes time and monetary limits before playing Only gambles with money they can afford to lose Never chases their losses Doesn't gamble if they're upset, angry or depressed Gamcare – Gamble Aware – Find our detailed guide on responsible gambling practices here.
The Irish Sun
13-05-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Paul Nicholls set to lose host of horses including ‘brilliant' serial winner as he plots yard refresh with daughter Meg
PAUL NICHOLLS is set to lose a host of horses at the upcoming sales - including a serial winner and unraced £140,000 potential star. The legendary Ditcheat boss has joined rival 1 Paul Nicholls, who is to put nine horses up for sale at Doncaster, will target a squad refresh over the summer under the watchful eye of daughter and bloodstock expert Megan Credit: Getty It comes as Nicholls will aim for a squad overhaul over the summer under the Among the nine horses Nicholls will have up for sale at Doncaster later this month is a 'brilliant' five-time winner. Bryony Frost waxed lyrical about Ioupy Collonges after the Neil and Alfie Smith-owned seven-year-old won at Perth last year. She said the son of Kitkou, who has more than £45,000 earnings from 12 career runs, was 'big and bold' in the Class 3 novice handicap chase. And he proved that was no fluke with a £10,000 win over 3m1f last Boxing Day at Wincanton, taking his mark to 126. He is lot No666 in the Spring HIT/PTP sale, with Nos 663-665 also being consigned by Nicholls under the Manor Farm Stables banner. Among them is former Grade 1 runner Farnoge, who fired a quickfire double under Harry Cobden at the tail end of 2023. While top owner Johnny de la Hey has decided the time is right to offer Wrappedupinmay to another owner. Most read in Horse Racing The seven-year-old gelding won an Irish point-to-point by 30 lenghts on debut and finished outside the top three just once in seven runs under rules before being pulled up at Wincanton in January. While the Stewart Family, who continue to run horses in the silks of late legendary owner Andy Stewart, have also decided to flog Onethreefivenotout. Named after Ben Stokes' legendary 2019 Ashes innings at Headingley, he has won three of his 11 career races after being bought by Nicholls and bloodstock expert Tom Malone for £125,000 the same year as Stokes' heroics. The nine Nicholls horses for sale Just Lucky Sivola Wrappedupinmay Onethreefivenotout Golden Photo Fortunate Fella Farnoge Hugos New Horse Rickety Bridge Ioupy Collonges Of the nine horses Nicholls is set to sell on behalf of his owners, arguably the most interesting is the unraced Golden Photo. A £140,000 buy by Nicholls and Malone in June 2023, the five-year-old son of Authorized has never made the racecourse. But he had been purchased by the late John Hales, who won the Grand National with Neptune Collonges and owned a load of top horses with big mate Sir Alex Ferguson. Golden Photo's dam, Diteou, is a sister to dual Gold Cup king Al Boum Photo. While the horse himself is a half-brother to 2m4f hurdle winner Golden Point, suggesting staying trips are firmly on his agenda. Sun Racing told you Nicholls and Malone have formed a formidable team in recent years. But the 14-time champion trainer is looking to shake things up for the autumn after seeing protege Dan Skelton battle it out with Willie Mullins for top honours last season. FREE BETS - GET THE BEST SIGN UP DEALS AND RACING OFFERS Commercial content notice: Taking one of the offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. You should be aware brands pay fees to appear in the highest placements on the page. 18+. T&Cs apply. . Remember to gamble responsibly A responsible gambler is someone who: Read more on the Irish Sun Establishes time and monetary limits before playing Only gambles with money they can afford to lose Never chases their losses Doesn't gamble if they're upset, angry or depressed Gamcare – Gamble Aware – Find our detailed guide on responsible gambling practices here.
Irish Examiner
26-04-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
'It's not a crime to be second to Willie' - Fergie pays tribute to master Mullins
Sir Alex Ferguson urged Dan Skelton to be proud of his achievements this season and says "it is not a crime" to be beaten to the trainers' championship by Willie Mullins. Skelton finished second to the Irishman for a second successive year after taking the fight to the final day of the season, with Mullins emulating the achievement of the great Vincent O'Brien who went back-to-back in the 1950s. The former Manchester United manager has been following the titanic title tussle closely in the final weeks of the season and was at Sandown to cheer on Skelton, who saddled Protektorat for the footballing great and his co-owners to win last year's Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham Festival. Ferguson praised Skelton for taking it down to the wire and is now backing the trainer to dust himself off and go again - believing this year's title race bears comparison to when some of his great teams of the 1990s and 2000s had to settle for second before bouncing back. "Willie Mullins has been superb for years and for Dan it is not a crime to be second to Willie Mullins, it is an achievement in itself," said Ferguson. "I've got horses with Dan and Paul (Nicholls) and it was never going to be easy as Willie Mullins has probably been the best trainer of the last 10 years. But the competition is there from Dan and that is an amazing achievement. "I had too many of these with Manchester United and I lost two titles on goal difference on the last day and I was second seven times. But we were second five times and then won it the next year - the other two we finished third." Skelton's former boss and long-time mentor, the 14-time champion trainer Paul Nicholls, knows what it feels like to be on both sides of the outcome at Sandown on the final day of the season. The Ditcheat handler pointed to the sheer weight of the Closutton squad as too much to resist in the closing stages of the season but firmly believes Skelton is a future title winner. "He will end up being champion trainer one day and he's done brilliantly," said Nicholls. "He's got the right attitude and the right team behind him. His dad and brother are a massive asset to him and he's done well this year, it's a big team the Skelton team. "He's done so well this year and set his stall out from the start and is unlucky to just be beat by numbers. "I know what it is like and as I've told him, it was 20 years ago I was beat by Martin Pipe. I needed Azertyuiop to win the big one and I didn't have the numbers that day. "We managed to repel Willie once here but it's hard to do and Dan will be champion trainer one day, whether it is next year, the year after or whenever, he will be one day. "I'm proud of him and I told him not to take it to heart as he's had an amazing season." Skelton himself was certainly not bitter after being pipped to the post yet again and vowed to come back fighting for his maiden title next season. He said: "It's been a phenomenal year for us and I've been delighted with how it has gone, barring picking up the trophy. "Of course lifting that trophy matters and that is what we want to do, but the last three weeks of competition has been phenomenal. "It's been a fabulous day today and Sean (Bowen) was brilliant on Resplendent Grey, my friend Olly Murphy has had his best year ever and how did Il Etait Temps win? It was amazing. "It's been a great year and a great day and we'll just try to go again next year. I won't be giving up and we're only going to get better and stronger. "I've got a bunch of hungry owners who know now what they want as much as I know what I want. They haven't enjoyed watching me get beat and that will stand me in good stead for the future." A crowd of over 10,000 watched an action-packed afternoon, the biggest since the Covid pandemic. PA
The Independent
21-02-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Saturday Kempton & Chepstow tips, best bets and racing odds
Saturday's racing tips Kempton tips: Rivals could be blown away by Lacey ace It has been somewhat of a stuttering campaign to date for Herefordshire handler Tom Lacey, but recent results have suggested a marked improvement in fortunes and Blow Your Wad (Kempton, 4.10) could continue the resurgence on Saturday. The seven-year-old has proved a little tricky to train in a 14-race career under rules to date, but when he's good, he's very good and this Class 2 handicap chase will seem like a home tie for the selection. Blow Your Wad boasts form figures of 111 at the Sunbury venue and, with his stable finding some form at last – six winners from 32 runners since the turn of the year as opposed to four from 72 for the three months preceding New Year's Eve – Lacey's son of Walk In The Park makes plenty of appeal on betting sites to complete a fabulous Kempton four-timer. Earlier on the card, the meeting opens with a competitive handicap hurdle and there is a chance Gold For Alec (Kempton, 1.15) remains well handicapped despite a 9lb imposte for his smooth Huntingdon win last time. Trainer Tom Symonds has enjoyed a golden spell with his hurdlers of late – watch out for recent Newbury third Navajo Indy when he tackles three miles for the first time at the Grand National meeting – and the selection took a sizeable leap forward when asked to tackle two-and-a-half miles for the first time in January. Jockey Ben Poste sauntered through that 14-runner handicap on the bridle and the manner in which Gold For Alec quickened away from his rivals once set alight suggested the five-year-old remains ahead of the assessor. He boasts the opportunity to test that theory upped in grade on Saturday, but his cruising speed and affinity for a right-handed track could still make him a formidable opponent. Blow Your Wad landed last year's running of the Grade 2 Pendil Novices' Chase and Rubaud (Kempton, 1.50) makes some appeal on betting apps to lift Saturday's renewal, even if his stamina isn't copper-bottomed at this new trip. His pedigree suggests two-and-a-half miles should be within his compass on good ground so if the heavy showers miss Kempton, then Paul Nicholls' gelding should make his presence felt. Rubaud's record competing right-handed when completing on ground no worse than good to soft is impressive (0112111211) with one of his rare defeats under those circumstances sustained at the hands of Constitution Hill. Given he is maturing as a chaser, the Ditcheat dynamo is worth supporting in the hope he sees out the extra four furlongs. Stablemate Tahmuras (Kempton, 3.35) – available at 16/1 on some horse racing betting sites with four places on offer – is not one for the feint-hearted, but he was second to Blow Your Wad in Grade 2 company on this card 12 months ago and could reward a patient ride from Jonathan Burke. The former Tolworth Hurdle winner is another much better served by going right-handed and four efforts this way round have yielded form figures of 1122. Admittedly, his finishing effort can be called into question and he again looked to curl up a little at Wetherby when asked to go and win his race last time, but in Burke, backers have a superb rider for this type of project, and he could give players a fun ride at a tall price. Chepstow tips: Watch out for course regulars Over at Chepstow, there are a couple of course lovers which look worth siding with in Prince Quali (Chepstow, 3.07) and Bucephalus (Chepstow, 3.44). The former beat a couple of today's rivals at the Welsh venue last spring when defeating Dr T J Eckleburg in February before seeing off Sans Bruit off his revised mark on April 1. Robert Walford's eight-year-old is yet to find the winner's enclosure this term, but a return to his beloved Chepstow could work the oracle and he will find conditions to his liking. Harriet Tucker has struck up a good relationship with Bucephalus and he returns to action on the back of a game, front-running effort at Newbury in January when out-pointing an unexposed rival in Norn Iron. The selection had previously been overhauled by Castelfort here over the festive period, but with the form of that race endorsed by the likes of Gold For Alec (3rd), Double Click (5th) and Passing Kate (8th), he should again go well despite a 7lb rise for his Newbury victory. His form figures at around two miles read an impressive 324331221. Bettors should always follow responsible gambling practices. Even the most knowledgeable punter can lose a bet, so always stick to a budget and never chase your losses. When using gambling sites be aware that sports betting can be addictive so please take steps to remain in control of your time and budget. The same applies whether you're using new betting sites, slot sites, casino sites, casino apps, or any other gambling medium. It's particularly important not to get carried if you receive a casino bonus or any free bets you might receive, which are available in abundance on gambling sites, but must be approached with caution. You can stay in control by making use of the responsible gambling tools offered, such as deposit limits, loss limits, self-exclusion and time-outs. You may also want to visit the following free organisations to discuss any issues with gambling you might be having: NHS Help GambleAware Gamblers Anonymous We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. 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