Leading owner Johnny de la Hey has removed all horses from Paul Nicholls’ stable, marking a significant shift in their long-standing partnership. This decision affects 11 horses previously trained by Nicholls.
As of early Tuesday, seven of these horses will now be trained by Dan Skelton. The remaining four will split between Jamie Snowden and Chris Gordon.
The De La Heys have been with Nicholls since the 2009-10 season. During this time, they achieved remarkable success, including 123 jumps winners from 652 runners.
This partnership yielded a 19 percent strike rate and over £3.7 million in prize-money. Notable victories included Cyrname winning the Ascot Chase in 2019 by an impressive 17 lengths.
Nicholls expressed disappointment regarding the removal of the horses. He stated, “It’s disappointing after all the success we have had together.” He also wished Johnny de la Hey well.
Experts note that this shift is part of a broader trend, as Nicholls has faced multiple high-profile owners moving their horses recently.
After leaving Nicholls, Old Park Star won the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle for Nicky Henderson. Similarly, Kabral Du Mathan secured victory in the Relkeel Hurdle at Cheltenham.
Nicholls reflected on the situation, saying, “I’ve never had to deal with that in my career and I did find it hard – you start asking yourself what you’re doing wrong.” He added that he has been in the game long enough to take these things on the chin.
