Paul Nicholls: My ambition is to become the first to train 4,000 winners over jumps

Paul Nicholls celebrates his 12th Champion Jump Trainers’ title at Sandown Park on Saturday with his sights set on becoming the first in history to train 4,000 winners.

The Ditcheat handler won the title for the first time back in the 2005-06 season but insists he still gets the “same buzz” out of lifting the trophy at the end of a season in April.

Nicholls has moved a step closer to Martin Pipe’s record of 15 titles following a season in which he surpassed his previous best total of 171 winners and also smashed through the £2million prize money barrier.

However, far from resting on his laurels, Nicholls has his eye on more titles and more winners, including a landmark which has never been achieved.

With nearly 3,300 career winners in Britain to his name so far, he explained: “The next target I’ve got in my mind is to train 4,000 National Hunt winners in the UK. If we keep going at the rate we are we should be able to crack that 4,000 mark which no one has done before in jumping.

“We’ve had a great season which really started from the two day meeting at Chepstow in October and it has kept on going well. We’ve beaten our best ever total and had over £2.3 million in prize money in what is really a 10 month season, as there was no racing in May and June.

“I think every season there is always room for improvement whatever you do. We were hoping for a good season and we have had one.

“I still get the same buzz out of winning the title. It was a bit frustrating we weren’t able to challenge Nicky (Henderson) in the last couple of months after Cheltenham last season as we had horses lined up for races but COVID stopped all that.

“To get the title back is good. It is good for the whole team and keeps us competitive. It is the reason we get up in the mornings.

“Everybody has worked hard and it has been difficult with all the COVID restrictions. We’ve kept everybody safe and collectively a lot of hard work has paid off.”

And while success at the Cheltenham Festival may have eluded him this year, there have been a number of notable big race victories for Nicholls to savour.

He added: “Some people think because we didn’t have a Cheltenham Festival winner that we have had a bad season. If the horses aren’t good enough to go to Cheltenham there is no point going there so you might as well save them. Cheltenham winners are a bonus and we love having them when you have a horse good enough to go there.

“It was special to see Politologue do what he did in the Tingle Creek on what was his first run of the season. He is a special horse and to win a second Tingle Creek was amazing.

“Frodon winning the King George, which was our 12th win in the race, was a bit of a surprise but at the same time it wasn’t as he is high class. We went into it thinking Clan Des Obeaux or Cyrname would win it and up pops up Frodon, who is always a good back-up for any race and he ended up doing it nicely.

“Frodon is tough, genuine and always tries his best and that was his day. Who is to say that he won’t go very close in it again next season?

“Clan Des Obeaux was awesome the other day in the Betway Bowl at Aintree where we ended up being the leading trainer at the meeting. We just tweaked a few little things and he was very good. It was probably one of his best performances.

“And it was great to see Megan (Nicholls, daughter) win the Grade Two bumper at Aintree on Knappers Hill. That was another magical moment.”

In recent years the Champion Jump Trainers’ title has been a two horse race between Nicholls and Nicky Henderson. However, this year’s champion trainer believes that his former assistant and this year’s runner-up, Dan Skelton, could present him with his biggest challenge next term.

Nicholls added: “There are some good young trainers about but Dan will be the main threat. Having worked with me for nine years and seeing how we operate he knows what to do.

“He is going to be a thorn in my side and if anyone is going to challenge us for the championship for the next couple of seasons away from Nicky then Dan is your man.

“I’ve been training 30 years this autumn and it takes a while to build it up. There is a lot of hard work and heartache that goes with it but once you are at the top you want to stay there.”

With plenty of his established stars still at the peak of their powers and a crop of exciting novice hurdles and chasers in his ranks, Nicholls is already excited about next season and what lies in store.

He said: “I think we have got a lovely team for next season. One thing we have had is a lot of smart bumper horses this winter which will go novice hurdling, then we have some nice novice hurdlers to go novice chasing. There is a good production line coming along.

“We have got about 20 four year olds to run in bumpers next season and we have already purchased some nice three year olds.

“Added to this the likes of Next Destination could be a Ladbrokes Trophy, Grand National horse and we have Topofthegame coming back, so it is exciting times.”

Rivals hoping that Nicholls, who turned 59 earlier this month, might decide on an early retirement will be disappointed to hear his plans for the future, including trying to help stable jockey Harry Cobden realise his ambition of becoming champion jockey.

He added: “I teased Dan (Skelton) and said to him ‘don’t you worry, in 10 years’ time when you take the title off me I’m going to retire the day you are champion’, but I’m a long way off that yet!

“It would also be nice if Harry (Cobden) could be champion jockey. He is a lot younger than some of the others at the top and he hasn’t had quite so much experience, but he is getting better all the time.

“He rode over 100 winners for me this season and if Colin and Joe Tizzard get back to where they were he would have every chance of being champion jockey, so as you can see we still have plenty left to do.”