Shame Paul Nicholls Becoming Yesterdays Man.

I'd be surprised if Twiston is still stable jockey by the end of the season.

kauto denman big bucks master minded etc...hard to believe that's knocking on 20 years ago

Oct 14, 2026 -- 4:01PM, JohanntheGoatHurdler wrote:

I'd be surprised if Twiston is still stable jockey by the end of the season.

cobden to him is a big downgrade

never fails

It's happened to better trainers than PFN and it'll continue to do so in the future.

Time catches up with everybody.

Already a contender for ride of the season...but yeah a real downgrade lol

(IRE)
17/2
J:Sam Twiston-DaviesOpen Sam Twiston-Davies jockey profile
T:Paul NichollsOpen Paul Nicholls trainer profile
4    10-10    116    118    121    –   
Towards rear, headway 3 out, ridden 2 out, switched right before last where left in second, kept on well run-in, led final strides(op 9/1 tchd 8/1)

got the jockey figs in front of you?

david pipe also both same  problem lost the  main  owners  haven't  got "manny" decent   ownners and decent  horses. 14 times champion  trainer looks like  now he  wont get level with Martin  Pipe record 15.

Why is it a shame? He's a lot better off than most trainers. The Ferguson gang still putting up a few quid. The shame for punters and the game in general is the dominance of Skelton. Half the time the markets seemingly don't know what's going on.

Nicholls had four key problems imo, and probably only two were down to him.

1. Jockeys matter. Ruby was the best ever and after he left, PFN was a bit undiscerning in his replacements. He also had the best second-string jockey in the country but allowed her to emigrate after *that* row; he should have given Bryony a new marquee horse after Frodon retired.

2. Targets. PFN became obsessed with being champion trainer so many horses would skip Cheltenham for more likely wins elsewhere. The trouble is that at the top level, owners aren't that interested in landing a punt or even a glossy photo and glass doodad: they'd rather lose at Cheltenham with all their mates and/or clients swigging champagne than win at a lesser meeting (sorry, Aintree).

3. His students left and rivalled or even surpassed the master.

4. The best French horses were increasingly sold to Willie Mullins before PFN got a sniff.

....a theme song for his wonderful career........" Oh no, they can't take that away from me "....

Aye he has lost focus....To busy humpin.

At his best he was peerless. A trainer I always trusted to deliver his charges in peak form for the top races. Even with a reduction in overall class can still be relied on deliver horses properly schooled and ready for hurdles/fences. Sometimes his horses pop up at a decent price nowadays.

....Acey.....it wouldn't hurt for you to show a little respect for one of our greatest ever NH trainers.

No need at all for the low grade remark.....nothing personal to you , I would post the same to anyone else...( maybe not RICO, ...I'm frit of him !)

If he spent less time humpin and more time with his hoses rich he wid be Champion Trainer again ffs.

Frit of rico ffs man grow a pair he is nuthin but a F@nny.

I have pushed better oot the way to get intay a fight ffs.

The losing Sweaty Mongrel remains just that

...a sweet turn of phrase indeed...

A two bob ex stable staff,losing punter criticising a multiple Champion Trainer ?

....can't argue with your logic on that one....no need for the vulgarity about P.N personal life really ......nowt to do with racing .

Exactly,richgit.
Acey is an attention seeker who has promised to leave the forum on many occasions if his bet advices failed,which they usually did.
Nevertheless,he is still here spouting Pony

I’m concerned that Acey thinks his humping is a problem and not his weight!

He can’t be humping for long!

..Aahh.....the sweet tender embrace, and bodily sensual union of two people deeply in love......now apparently known as      humping !

Nicholls desire has gone imv…..winding down…..odd winner round Wincanton and surrounding…

Nicholls desire has gone imv…..winding down…..odd winner round Wincanton and surrounding…

You utter clown

Pumped more Woman than Warren Beatty Kieran Fallon Russel Brand and Tiger Woods put together ffs....And aye i am fakin jelous.

Acey don’t live with regrets, it’s like a good shat, once you had it, you don’t want it!

The decline was rapid. I wonder if he will get that one horse that springs him back to public attention as the beloved Henry Cecil did.

He’ll struggle now ,seems a difficult individual tbh…..

He worked very hard to achieve what he achieved and has been great for national hunt racing thankfully Nicky didn’t have kauto star and denman what a circus that would have been,I hope he gets a few more good ones he deserves to.

Agree with all that jimnast.

Thanks Tommy

By the way I went to Lanark both me and foxy know where your coming from when you say it’s quite sad to see glad I went though it’s nice to see the local sports club retaining the name of the racecourse.

The west country had a period of relative dominance with Pipe, Hobbs, Tizzard and Nicholls all winning many of the top races and Paul Nicholls winning multiple championships. Things have moved on-mostly to Ireland-where races are valuable and coming over to GB is relatively cheap so they can plunder most of our prize money as well. Lambourn has mainly been about Nicky Henderson and apart from a very small number of top class horses, his string is a shadow of its former self. Meanwhile Dan Skelton has expanded at amazing speed and looks likely to retain the Championship.

Nicholls like Stoute won the lot and winding down,no harm tbh.

..Sage....almost everything in life works in circles and phases...........in this racing game, trainers, horses, and jockeys all ebb and flow / and come and go......completely unforgettable names,------ eventually , forgotten.

Elsewhere ..., sportsmen, football clubs , politicians, singers  etc etc....all have their " seasons in the Sun"....and then fade away to be replaced by the next big thing............that's just the way it is,   can't fight it, just have to accept and go with it. ........G.L.

..Ace..I know a bit about the P.N.operation .... and he isn't currently aiming to wind down....still ambitious definitely .

It does feel as though PF is winding down a little, if I recall even Megan and the man himself suggested that another championship might be beyond him now. I always figured he wouldn't rest until he had equalled Pipe's 15 trainer's titles, but perhaps he'll settle for beating his old rivals overall total of winners.

I think his decline is down to a few factors, many already raised here. Ramruma makes some good points. Firstly, I agree about the jockey being crucial. Alan King, for example, appeared to nosedive around the same time as Choc Thornton dropped off and Jamie Snowdon would appear to be an example of a trainer boosted by a good jockey coming on board. I also agree about Willie Mullins dominating the French scene leading to a massive drop off - PF doesn't appear to have anywhere close to the numbers of French horses as he once had.

I'd also say that owners have gradually dropped away whether through old age/passing on, leaving the game or switching to the next big thing (Nicholls benefitted from this when he was at the top, getting the Clive Smith or Jim Lewis horses, for example). Now Skelton and Mullins get horses that may once have been destined for Ditcheat.

Though he does appear to be a difficult character, his horses did light up many a winter afternoon, so I take no pleasure in his weakened state.

I have known Paul Nicholls for many years-he only trains 15 miles away. I had a horse at Ditcheat when Jim Old was there and met Paul Barber then and through our farming contacts. I always found Paul Nicholls very approachable and always looking for information if he thought I knew something he didn't. I had a 1/12th share in So Now which he trained to win twice at the time when Denman and Kauto Star were at their best. I don't know how he comes across to punters but to me he could not have been more friendly and easy to talk to. I have not spoken to him for 5 years as I no longer go racing much but I think he is just realistic about the power of Mullins and Skelton to get the better horses and he still does his best with what he has. I have his Horses in Training book for 2026/7 and there are a lot of interesting young horses to look forward to-if we ever get rain! Seeing Dan Skelton win with 3 good horses that moved from Ditcheat must have been disappointing.

Whippin Piccadilly • October 14, 2026 4:39 PM BST
yeah a real downgrade lol

shocking shocking bad

Another PFN horse thats walked home - given  open  goal and blazed it over the bar.

Still a maiden over fences!

Been following this thread with interest and here are my thoughts.
I am a big fan of the stable.
I don't know PN and have no idea if he's winding down.
PN was and probably still is a great trainer of horses. His record speaks for itself.
I don't agree that jockeys move to a stable and the standard of horse improves. I believe that when a jockey leaves and the standard appears to drop it's because the jockey sees that the animals coming through are not going to match the ones that have been winning over a period of time.
Jockeys can make a difference to winning/losing races though.
I do agree that other trainers WM/Skelton/Elliot for example are probably obtaining the more promising types at present. That can change.
I certainly hope he continues and does well.
All about opinions.
Jimnast. Good to hear you got up to Lanark. You should have given me a shout I would have brought the Kleenex.

SKELTON benefiting
how many ch hurdle,gold cups, ch chases , stayer,s hurdles,grand nationals  has he won ?

Skelton = Oly Murphy….both have a long way to catch up with PN tbh….

1st time poster- agree 100%
formoftheace- ditto 100%

Thirded...have Nicholls over the grinning crook any day...

To place Ollie Murphy alongside Skelton shows a remarkable lack of knowledge but fully expected from the hapless poster Aceform.

Much of a muchness Bell-E……..

Considering the backing he gets Murphy is a big under achiever. Wins lots of tin pot races, but very few of his horses progress to the top table. I don't see any change in that. Up to now Skelton probably better known for handicappers, but that looks as if it will change. It will be poor if it doesn't.

Yes I can see how a moron like you could say that,you clueless cretin.
Skelton has very long way to go before getting near Nicholls achievements,though.

Handicap King tbh…..hype then dud….bla…

13 chelt festival winner,s for skelton, 4 at one festival his larget haul

Gold Cup,Champion Hurdle and Queen Mother….the rest are races including the long one…..

You can squawk louder Ironhead when he lifts one….

People are free to express opinions on here without morons like you accusing them of squawking because they know more than you,Two Bobber

Yawn ! 

Go to bed.

Tony mullins had a good point DS is yet to train a superstar like ks or Denman

Or Azertyuiop, Master Minded, Call Equiname, Big Bucks, Neptune Collanges and many more.

nichols stable visit on portinlife says  he has one juvinile hurlder ,to hard to get hold of
reading between lines getting TWINJETTS to beat PI,LOCRY in charlie hall chase ,is pumpkins chelt gold cup this season

It does not alter the fact that he is a top class Tariner,1st timer.
Fashions change

Even Cecil's string suffered before Frankel

Nicholl's has achieved what most could only dream of doing.

Hilarious at Newton Ab Sat, Pumpkin face like thunder when Sam got Quebecois beat. Looked like he was going to explode but said absolutely nothing to Sam who told the tale of woe to owner Max Mcneill instead. Had he not been there one dreads to think what Pumpkin would have said!

STD wasn't up to the job first time round.
Little has changed

As great as he was, those days are gone. Time to pack it in. You cannot back any if his with confidence anymore.

If the horse is good enough he will get the result.

Not any more he won't. Have you been watching him the last couple of years? Obviously not.

I think Skelton will struggle at Cheltenham this season,Mullins rule with the poser on the dead horse snapping away….Skelton to pick up a handicap….

What a cretin you are,Aceform.
Mullins to have winners at Cheltenham.
Who would have thought that
Skelton will rule the roost in England for some time

Mullins rule which means he will be top again….

Keep up silly one

Nicky Henderson will be in for a good season with a rider on the JP horses, no more blunder busters….

Skelton achieved his Cheltenham success with being more than cute with the handicappers. Pumpkin would never leave races behind just to win at Cheltenham, but this is the MO of most of the successful trainers now. Probably the two that don't do it at all are GE and Pumpkin. GE possibly does it with the average horses in the egg and spoon races, but not ones that could win at the festival.

I wrote about that before, but over Pumpkin's career, I'd say getting Cheltenham winners has become increasingly more critical overall, but Pumpkin never compromised his approach to get them. But since powerful owners cherish Cheltenham winners over anything else, they will now go to people who seem most likely to get them. Ironically, Max is desperate for one, but obviously uses multiple trainers anyway.

Running non triers, or keeping them back months to protect a mark would typically be an anathema to Pumpkin. Which is the way it should be, but it's now a dated approach.

Mullins is more than capable of "plotting one up" for Cheltenham and has done so on many occasions.
With Cheltenham now being the be all and end all it will continue

I don't associate Mullins with plotting at all. He doesn't hide his horses out the back. Isn't his record in handicap chases terrible? Can you give these 'many' examples. Plotted up horses I would associate with going into the Festival with a string of duck eggs, and then suddenly 'improving'.

You don't need a string of ducks eggs to get a plotted Mark,DD

Mullins obviously no longer needs to build a reputation of being able to get festival winners. He's got to the point where owners allow him to do whatever he wants, such as run 11 in the triumph. He's already the established 'go to' for the festival. Skelton knew what he what have to do to get them, and was ruthless in doing it. Skelton made the calculation in my view that after proving he could train, the next thing he needed to do was to prove he could regularly produce festival winners, and that would consequently get him owners willing to put the loot in. I'd say it's worked out fairly well. He knows what he now needs is champions.

Mullins doesn't tend to hook them, he just doesn't run them. Such as top grade 1 horses State Man and Gaelic Warrior having their marks protected when they were still viable for handicaps. GW actually somehow still managed to get beat obviously, but the market told everyone that they already knew he was very good back then.

Cheltenham won’t be much different from any other year with Mullins plundering the most and the stragglers getting the crumbs….

The key point (for me) is that PN has never prioritised the festival. In his heyday, nor did most big domestic owners. That's all evolved now, and most of them would sacrifice the rest of a horses' career if it meant winning a festival race. Whereas Hendo's raison d'être has always been festival winners.

I suspect many jump race fans are pretty fed up with how the weighting of priorities has evolved. When Kauto was winning the betfair chase and the KG, these were seen as significant achievements. I'm not saying it's wrong, it probably isn't that he didn't change his MO. But I don't feel PN adapted his approach to the way the the industry focus has, and even very recently for example would target the charlie hall with his best staying chasers.

......Very well argued Cider...of course, Paul values a Cheltenham winner, and he's had plenty, ..but he really enjoys his trips over to Kempton and Sandown too....a different cosmopolitan vibe indeed...G.L.

Skelton was interviewed in Perth after his decent new novice chaser kabral won there. He said it will likely only run twice more before March, perhaps even less than that, ground depending. You have to have an owner that is willing to risk sacrificing the whole season to win one race (in this example the Arkle), and a trainer happy to keep a potential grade 1 horse tucked up at home, just ticking along, avoiding injury. This approach is just not in PN's dna in my view.

pumpkin running that queb who got beat at NA at chelt this weekend which want the plan,says alot about what he thought of the ride

the well TOUTED line from PN and lots of uk trainers,
HE,LL MAKE A BETTER CHASER JUST A BABY etc
doesnt really count for much as the horses that are beaten them over hurdles will also make better chasers and those young babies PN etc used to get from france ,MULLUINS is now getting 1st pick of them all

...JUst mentioning...Friday's storm down in these parts has been named  "Austin" , and upgraded to Amber status.....