Cheltenham Festival

Born in Lydney, Gloucestershire on April 17, 1962, Paul Nicholls was stable jockey to the late David Barons in Kingsbridge, Devon, for three years and, following his retirement from the saddle, due to injury, in 1989, assistant trainer to the West Country handler for another two before setting up in his own right in 1991. Nicholls started his training career at Manor Farm, in Ditcheat, Somerset, where he rented a yard from the late Paul Barber, in October 1991. He saddled his first winner, Olveston, owned by his mother, Margaret, and ridden by Hywel Davies, in a novices’ handicap chase at Hereford on December 20, 1991.

A little over three decades later, Nicholls is widely recognised as the leading trainer of his generation, having won the National Hunt Trainers’ Championship 14 times between 2005/06 and 2022/23, including seven titles in a row between 2005/06 and 2011/12. Indeed, his winning streak has been interrupted by just two other trainers, Nicky Henderson and Willie Mullins, behind whom he also lies third in the all-time list at the Cheltenham Festival.

Nicholls announced himself to the Prestbury Park faithful in some style back in 1999, winning the Arkle Challenge Trophy with Flagship Uberalles, the Queen Mother Champion Chase with Call Equiname and the Cheltenham Gold Cup with See More Business. Fittingly, the latter was co-owned by his landlord, Paul Barber, and John Keighley. At the last count, Nicholls had increased his career tally to 49 winners at the Cheltenham Festival. He has won the Arkle Challenge Trophy again, with Azertyuiop (2003), the Queen Mother Champion Chase five times more, with Azertyuiop (2004), Master Minded (2008, 2009), Dodging Bullets (2015) and Politologue (2020), and the Cheltenham Gold Cup three times more, with Kauto Star (2007, 2009), Denman (2008).

Born in Baughurst, Hampshire on August 14, 1989, Nico de Boinville joined Nicky Henderson, at Seven Barrows in Lambourn, Berkshire, as a stable lad in 2009. He said later, “It was all about seeing where I could go with it”, and for his first three seasons he appeared to be going nowhere in a hurry. Between May 2009 and April 2012 he had just 30 rides and, except for two wins on Barber Shop, owned by the late Queen Elizabeth II, in hunter chases at Fontwell in February 2012, little to show for his efforts.

Disillusioned with his lack of progress, at the age of 22, De Boinville tendered his resignation with a view to returning to France, where he had gained limited experience of working with racehorses during his gap year. Luckily, Henderson refused to accept his resignation, a week later De Boinville rode Petit Robin to victory, by a nose, in the Listed Sportingbet Handicap Hurdle at Sandown Park and the rest, as they say, is history.

De Boinville rode his first Cheltenham Festival winner, Whisper, trained by Henderson, in 2014. The following year, having only recently ridden out his claim, he rode his second, Coneygree, trained by Mark Bradstock, in the Cheltenham Gold Cup. At the start of the 2015/16 National Hunt season, De Boinville replaced Barry Geraghty as stable jockey at Seven Barrows and has since ridden 14 more Cheltenham Festival winners. Of the ‘feature’ races, aside from the Cheltenham Gold Cup, he has won the Queen Mother Champion Chase three times, on Sprinter Sacre (2016) and Altior (2018, 2019), and the Champion Hurdle once, on Constitution Hill (2023).

The Henderson Family has a long association with the Cheltenham Festival insofar as the late Johnny Henderson, father of Nicky, was a founder member of the Racecourse Holdings Trust – now Jockey Club Racecourses – which purchased Cheltenham Racecourse in 1963, thereby safeguarding its future. Indeed, Nicky Henderson, who has won the National Hunt Trainers’ Championship six times, most recently in 2019/20, is also the second most successful trainer in the history of the Cheltenham Festival, behind only Willie Mullins, with 73 winners.

Born in Lambeth, London on December 10, 1950, Henderson was assistant trainer to the legendary Fred Winter, at Uplands Stables in Upper Lambourn, for four years before taking out a training licence in his own right and saddling his first winner, Dukery, at Uttoxeter on October 14, 1978. By the time he moved from his original base at Windsor House Stables in nearby Lambourn to his current home at Seven Barrows in 1992, he had already made a significant impact at the Cheltenham Festival.

Henderson famously coaxed the talented, but fragile, See You Then to win the Champion Hurdle three years running, in 1985, 1986 and 1987, but in the first decade and a half of his career he also won the Stayers’ Hurdle with Rustle in 1989 and the Queen Mother Champion Chase with Remittance Man in 1992. In that same period, he also won the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle twice, the Triumph Hurdle twice and the Arkle Challenge Trophy.

In his career as a whole, Henderson has won the Champion Hurdle a record nine times, with See You Then (1985, 1986, 1987), Punjabi (2009), Binocular (2010), Buveur d’Air (2017, 2018), Epatante (2020) and Constitution Hill (2023), and the Queen Mother Champion Chase a joint-record six times, with Remittance Man (1992), Finian’s Rainbow (2012), Sprinter Sacre (2013, 2016), Altior and (2018, 2019). He has also won the Cheltenham Gold Cup, Stayers’ Hurdle and Ryanair Chase twice apiece.

Born in Lydford-on-Fosse, Somerset on November 5, 1998, Harry Cobden is, like many of his weighing room colleagues, a recruit from the field of point-to-point racing. He had been associated with Paul Nicholls’ yard in nearby Ditcheat since his early teens and became conditional jockey to the now 14-time champion trainer at the start of the 2015/16 National Hunt season. He rode his first winner under rules, El Mondo, trained by Rachael Green, at Leicester on March 6, 2015 and his first winner for Nicholls, Ulck Du Lin, at Wincanton on April 19, 2015.

In 2016/17, Cobden won the conditional jockeys’ title, riding out his claim in the process and, towards the of the 2017/18 season, became Nicholls’ stable jockey. By that stage, he had already ridden his first Cheltenham Festival winner, Kilbricken Storm, trained by Colin Tizzard, in the Spa Novices’ Hurdle on March 16, 2018. Indeed, Tizzard also offered Cobden the job as stable jockey at his yard in Milborne Port, Dorset prior to his appointment with Nicholls.

In 2019, Cobden added a second Cheltenham winner, the subsequently injury-prone Topofthegame, trained by Nicholls, in the Broadway Novices’ Chase. After a brief hiatus, in 2023 he added winners three and four, Stay Away Fay in the Spa Novices’ Hurdle, again, and Stage Star in the Golden Miller Novices’ Chase; both horses were trained by Nicholls. Last, but by no means least, in 2024 Cobden won the Pertemps Final on Monmiral, again trained by Nicholls, en route to winning his maiden senior jockeys’ title.

John Francome once said, “Having Harry Cobden on your side is like taking 7lb off a horse’s back…” Still only 26, able to ride at 10st 2lb and already with 24 Grade 1 wins to his name, Cobden looks destined for greatness, at the Cheltenham Festival and elsewehere.