Willie Mullins is the dominant trainer in National Hunt racing in 2025. However, there was a time, not so long ago, when the first port of call for those seeking a Grade 1 winner was the Ditcheat yard of Paul Nicholls.
Champion Trainer 14 times between 2005/06 and 2022/23, Nicholls has 150 Grade 1 victories to his name. While not quite the force of old, the man behind Kauto Star, Denman, Master Minded, and Big Bucks remains more than capable of challenging at the highest level. Give Nicholls the right ammunition, and Grade 1 success is all but sure to follow.
Following a 2024/25 season that featured three Grade 1 triumphs and wins in a host of quality handicaps, the 63-year-old will hope to build on those numbers. With his team assembled, here we highlight five of the runners most likely to take Nicholls to success on the biggest stages.
Kalif Du Berlais
This five-year-old is part-owned by Sir Alex Ferguson, whose golden touch in football management appears to have extended to the world of horse racing. Since joining the yard from France in 2024, the son of Masked Marvel has been spoken of in glowing terms by his trainer.
While always expected to make a chaser, he still managed to win twice over hurdles for Nicholls, including a Grade 2 success in the Adonis Juvenile Hurdle. Sent over fences in 2024/25, his debut outing ended in disaster, with the horse suffering a very heavy fall at Carlisle.
Thereafter, he set about delivering on the hype. Successful in three of his next four starts, the only blip came when he stepped up to 2m4f for the Scilly Isles Novices Chase. He then skipped the Cheltenham Festival to avoid taking on L’Eau du Sud, who represents some of the same owners, in the Arkle. However, he bagged his Grade 1 at the Aintree Grand National meeting, when conquering a field including L’Eau du Sud in the Maghull Novices’ Chase.
Making his return in the Haldon Gold Cup at Exeter he could only finish a distant fourth but Nicholls is plotting a course which may end in a shot at the Queen Mother Champion Chase.
No Drama This End
By leading National Hunt sire Walk In The Park and a 23-length winner of his point-to-point debut for Will Biddick, No Drama This End immediately stood out among Nicholls’ bumper team last season. He looked in need of the run first time out at Warwick but still had too much for the highly regarded and well-backed Keops Des Bordes from the yard of Dan Skelton.
No Drama This End win very impressively on debut @WarwickRaces under @CobdenHarry. Congratulations to his owners the Barber & McNeill Families. Well done to Alfie who rides him everyday and Andrew who looks after him. #61 pic.twitter.com/ZLqgcrFNoa
— Paul Nicholls OBE (@PFNicholls) December 31, 2024
Allowed to take his chance in the Champion Bumper at the Cheltenham Festival, he managed only ninth but ran a bit better than that finishing position suggested. Tentatively compared to Stage Star and Bravemansgame by his trainer, he looks like the sort to excel over fences in time. However, novice hurdles beckon this season, with the Grade 1 Challow Novices’ Hurdle an obvious target.
Regent’s Stroll
Also sired by Walk In The Park, this six-year-old hit the headlines when fetching a very tidy £660,000 at the sales in July 2024. That looked like a shrewd investment when Regent’s Stroll sauntered to a 9½l win on his hurdles debut at Newbury. Two subsequent outings in Grade 1 and Listed company ended in disappointment, but he ended the year with an excellent second to Honesty Policy in the Grade 1 Mersey Novices’ Hurdle.
Forgoing his open hurdling season, Regent’s Stroll heads straight into novice chases. Expected to improve significantly for a fence, the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival looks like a realistic long-term target.
Pic D’Orhy
Now 10 years old, this Johnny de la Hey-owned runner has been a superstar for Nicholls since making his debut for the yard in 2019. Six years on, he has won 12 times for the Ditcheat team, including a trio of Grade 1 events. If he can add £42,000 to his haul in 2025/26, he will join an illustrious club of Nicholls-trained runners to surpass £1million in career prize money.
His recent return in the Charlie Hall Chase suggested he retains all his old enthusiasm despite his advancing years. Expect to see this admirable performer tread a familiar path, taking in the 1965 Chase at Ascot, Silviniaco Conti Chase at Kempton, and Betfair Ascot Chase.
Jubilee Alpha
Going in the colours of The Pendil Partnership, Jubilee Alpha is the clear pick of the mares at the Nicholls yard right now. Always held in high regard by her trainer, she enjoyed a productive novice campaign, with Listed wins at Taunton and Cheltenham.
The Byerley Stud Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle goes the way of Jubilee Alpha under a superb Harry Cobden ride for trainer Paul Nicholls!🏆@PFNicholls | @CobdenHarry pic.twitter.com/qrWBtruAe0
— Taunton Racecourse & Conference Centre (@TauntonRacing) December 30, 2024
Last season’s only real disappointment came at the Cheltenham Festival, where she finished a well-beaten eighth behind Air Of Entitlement in the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle. However, all horses can be forgiven one subpar outing, and her win back at Prestbury Park in April represented a significant career best. Reported to have strengthened up over the summer and already a winner over 2m and 2m4f, Nicholls has plenty of options for this talented mare. Her first challenge takes her to Wincanton for the Richard Barber Memorial on Saturday, 8 November.
