Paul Nicholls not only failed to defend his British jumps racing Champion Trainer title last season, but he finished third in the race behind his old understudy Dan Skelton and National Hunt’s finest handler Willie Mullins — who became the first Irish trainer to win the championship in over 70 years and often dominates the online horse racing betting.
However, the Ditcheat trainer, who is a 14-time British Champion Trainer, had the most wins with 132 and you can almost guarantee that he is going to be back in contention for the coveted title in the upcoming 2024-25 jumps campaign — especially with reigning Champion Jockey Harry Cobden in the saddle of his best horses.
That said, let’s take a look at four Nicholls’ horses to follow this season.
Ginny’s Destiny
Ginny’s Destiny didn’t make the best impression on her debut for Ditcheat when finishing seventh of nine runners at Cheltenham in October, but she came on massively for Nicholls and won three times in a row at Prestbury Park to set up a crack at the Group 1 Golden Miller Novices’ Chase.
The eight-year-old went off at 11/2 but gave joint-favorite Grey Dawning a good run for her money up the home straight and was ultimately only beaten by two lengths in a thrilling finish. She was then runner-up again at Aintree, although some nine lengths behind Il Etait Temps in the top-level Manifesto.
The Champion Chase is an option for Ginny’s Destiny at the 2025 Cheltenham Festival, but we would need to see a lot of improvement from her if she is to mount a serious challenge to the likes of Jonbon, Gaelic Warrior and El Fabiolo. Still, one to keep on the side, nonetheless.
Caldwell Potter
When high-profile owners Andy and Gemma Brown shocked the jumps racing world by announcing that they were selling their entire string of horses, there was much speculation regarding the future of their star Caldwell Potter.
The six-year-old ended up selling for a jumps world-record fee of £632,910 to a syndicate that includes former football manager Sir Alex Ferguson, and Nicholls was the beneficiary of being handed one of the most exciting novices in the UK and Ireland.
Caldwell Potter won two of his three starts over hurdles for previous trainer Gordon Elliott, including a Group 1 at Leopardstown, but Nicholls upset racing fans when he announced he wouldn’t have him ready in time for Cheltenham as he only arrived at Ditcheat a few weeks earlier.
We’re yet to see him in the Ferguson, Mason, Hales & Done colors, but there will be a lot of excitement for his first start under his new owners and yard this season.
Kalif Du Berlais
Another exciting horse under the same ownership as Caldwell Potter at Ditcheat is Kalif Du Berlais, who looked very promising in his first season for Nicholls last term with two wins and a place in his three starts.
The four-year-old debuted on British soil with a comfortable Juvenile Hurdle win at Kempton in January and followed up with Group 2 success back at the course in February before swerving Cheltenham and finishing third behind Sir Gino and Kargese at Aintree.
It’s unclear at the time of writing whether Kalif Du Berlais will have another season over hurdles or go chasing, but he’s one to have in your tracker.
Kabral Du Mathan
Kabral Du Mathan might not be one at the top of everyone’s to-watch list when it comes to Nicholls’ string for the new season, but he has the potential to have a very exciting campaign after making a relatively low-key debut for Ditcheat at Huntingdon in January.
The four-year-old won a conditions hurdle in France last year before switching to Nicholls’ yard in December and he scored again in a Juvenile Hurdle over two miles in January on his only appearance in Britain to date.
Further progression into a nice novice should be on the cards this year.
