A 14-time champion trainer in Britain, Paul Nicholls has proven himself, time and time again, to be one of the best National Hunt trainers of all time. He has overseen the careers of some of the best horses to ever grace the track, and despite all of his success, Nicholls still has the drive to be even better.

Paul Nicholls Punchestown Runners

This page is dedicated to the master trainer, supplying you with all the information you will need to know on Paul Nicholls’ runners today, all of his runners for tomorrow, and all of the entries for his horses in the future. For punters looking to back one of Paul Nicholls’ runners, we also have a host of free bet offers and all of the updated prices available from the UK’s best horse racing betting sites and betting apps.

Paul Nicholls Runners Today

This is where you can find out all about Paul Nicholls’ runners today. If you want to know where Paul Nicholls’ horses are due to line up, or if you are interested in what prices horse racing betting sites are offering on his runners, this is the place to be. We have all of the updated prices on Nicholls’ horses that are set to be in action today and, as always, there are plenty of betting offers to take advantage of if you fancy one of his horses to run a big race.

Paul Nicholls Runners Tomorrow

As well as providing you with all of the information on Nicholls’ runners for today’s action above, we also have all of his runners for tomorrow and their live, updated prices as they become available. Keep a close eye, as many of Nicholls’ horses can be well backed early by horse racing betting enthusiasts, meaning that prices can shorten quite quickly.

Paul Nicholls Future Runners

Paul Nicholls will have laid out seasonal plans for his best horses well in advance, and we have all of his future entries in this section to give you an idea of where they may be set to line up. Of course, not all prices will be available for Nicholls’ horses for future races, but if they are, you will find the relevant ante post horse racing odds right here. 

Paul Nicholls Horses To Follow

Trying to find equine stars with the profile of the likes of Kauto Star, Denman, Master Minded, and Big Bucks, is a near impossible task for any trainer, and it is true that Nicholls has yet to find a horse of that calibre since they graced the track. Nicholls has still seen some talented horses come through his Ditcheat yard in recent years, and our experts are going to point you in the direction of some of Nicholls’ new stars to follow for the season ahead. These horses are likely to win plenty of races throughout the season, so are worth noting if you enjoy betting on horse racing. 

Bravemansgame is arguably the most talented individual at Nicholls’ disposal right now. One of last season’s best staying chasers, he was unbeaten in his first four races over fences, including an impressive victory in the Grade 1, Kauto Star Novices’ Chase at Kempton. He went on to finish second in last season's Cheltenham Gold Cup and will be hoping to go one better this season.

Another Nicholls horse that has proven himself to be a consistent performer at the top level is Greaneteen. He was impressive in beating his stablemate Hitman in the Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown two seasons ago, and that race will likely be his early-season target once again. This will likely be followed by a possible tilt at the Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham, where a stiff 2m trip should be right up his street.

Seven-year-old Hitman ran a cracking race in last season's Ryanair. While not being right out of the top drawer, he should have a solid season and could land a couple of big handicaps and graded races along the way.

One of the flagbearers for Nicholls in recent seasons is Frodon. He has a King George victory to his name after his win in 2020, and he is likely to tackle some big assignments this season, perhaps including another crack at the King George. 

Paul Nicholls Horses for Cheltenham

Paul Nicholls has, in recent years, taken the surprising decision to swerve the Cheltenham Festival with some of his best horses, instead concentrating on the likes of the Grand National meeting at Aintree. That may well be the case again this season, but there are some of Nicholls’ horses that might just head to the Festival depending on how their early season form holds up. It will be worth keeping these horses in mind if you like to start your Cheltenham betting early. 

Bravemansgame is the most obvious, with various options open to him, including the Ryanair Chase and the Gold Cup, whilst, Greaneteen could be a big player in the Champion Chase if lining up. Frodon, at this stage of his career, is likely to run in a handicap like the Ultima, if he is to line up at the Festival this season.

Paul Nicholls Horses for the Grand National 2024

It is hard to believe that Nicholls has only won the Aintree Grand National on one occasion – that being back in 2012 with Neptune Collonges. Just as strangely, he didn't have a runner in the 2023 Grand National. At this stage, it's difficult to see which of his horses might end up in the race come April. More will become clear throughout the season, as some stayers who are ahead of their mark could come to light. 

Paul Nicholls Biography

Nicholls was born in the small town of Lydney, Gloucestershire, close to the River Severn. Although Nicholls’ father was a policeman, and he himself worked in a bakery whilst in school, the fact that his family had little interest in horses mattered little, as Paul was enamoured with them from a young age.

Having ridden ponies in his younger years, Nicholls began working in a point-to-point yard as a teenager, and finally left school at the age of 16 to begin what would turn out to be an amazing career in the racing industry.

In 1982 he would become a conditional jockey for trainer, David Barons, and enjoyed plenty of success in the saddle, with two Hennessy Gold Cup wins at Newbury and a Welsh National at Chepstow being the highlights. Being such a big man, weight was always going to be a problem for Nicholls throughout his riding career, and this, partnered with a badly broken leg, eventually forced him into retirement in 1989.

Training racehorses had always been the dream for Nicholls, and after spending two years as assistant to the aforementioned Barons, he eventually took out his own license in 1991, and moved to an old yard in Ditcheat, Somerset. The yard belonged to local farmer Paul Barber – someone who would become a huge part of the new trainer’s career in the future.

Initially, Nicholls had just eight horses in training, but quickly made a name for himself in the industry, particularly for the fitness of his horses, who were benefiting from exercising up the now infamous hill gallop at Ditcheat.

See More Business, Call Equiname, and Flagship Uberalles, were the first real star horses to enter Paul Nicholls’ stables. It was these three who gave the trainer an unforgettable year in 1999, as they all won at the Cheltenham Festival, See More Business in the Gold Cup, Call Equiname in the Champion Chase, and Flagship Uberalles the Arkle Chase.

From here on, Nicholls was sitting at the top table of the National Hunt racing game. In 2004 he would better his 1999 Cheltenham haul by one, this time with the assistance of Ruby Walsh, who by now was stable jockey at Ditcheat. 

In the same year as his four-timer at Cheltenham, a horse named, Kauto Star, strolled into Nicholls’ yard, and both horse and trainer’s lives would never be the same again. Kauto Star became one of the greatest National Hunt horses of all time and provided his trainer with an incredible haul of top-level victories, including two Cheltenham Gold Cups, four Betfair Chases, and a record five King George VI Chases.

Just one year after the flamboyant Kauto Star came into Paul Nicholls’ life, a different type of beast trudged his way into the Ditcheat yard. Irish point-to-pointer, Denman, was like chalk to Kauto Star’s cheese in looks and attitude, but, ‘The Tank’ –  as he would become known – possessed just as much ability as his new stablemate, and the added attribute of an undying will to win.

With the likes of Big Bucks and Master Minded also in his arsenal, it would prove to be a golden era for Nicholls, but it was the rivalry between Kauto Star and Denman that would capture the imagination of the racing world. Kauto Star won his first Gold Cup in 2007, but went down to his new rival Denman the following year. The following season, the two would do battle again at Cheltenham, this time, however, Denman was lining up after an interrupted season in which he was diagnosed with a heart murmur. It was a testament to the horse that he still had the ability to finish runner-up to his stablemate, who was creating history by being the first horse to ever regain the Gold Cup title.

Speaking of titles, in the 2022-2023 season, Nicholls won his 14^th British champion jumps trainer title, moving him just one short of the legendary, Martin Pipe. The fact that Nicholls is still determined to win the title each and every season is a testament to how much love he retains for the sport. It would be surprising if he were not to surpass, Pipe, particularly given the number of horses he runs each season. He will just be hoping that some of those horses might kickstart another golden era at Ditcheat.