'Some of my rivals peak from the word go - I prefer to play the longer game'
Ben Newton visits the Manor Farm Stables powerhouse
![Paul Nicholls sports a big smile on the gallops at Manor Farm Stables](/_next/image/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com%2Fprod-media-racingpost%2Fprod%2Fimages%2F169_1008%2Fa04fc15ba331-71105.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
The champion trainer is warming up nicely with a promise of much more to come. With 11 winners in October you can’t say it’s been a slow start for Paul Nicholls, but neither has he raced out of the blocks like he did in 2016 and 2017.
“I’ve never known a start to a season quite like this one,” says the 11-time title holder. “The horses have held on to their condition and never taken so long to get fit. Some of them have had racecourse gallops to bring them on, but there’s only so much you can do at home and in the end you have to give them a run – and some of them have needed it.”
Nicholls offers another reason for the quieter start: “Some of my younger rivals bring theirs to peak fitness from the word go nowadays, whereas I prefer to play the longer game. We have to remember, it’s a long season and I’m in less of a hurry than I used to be at this time of year.”
Read the full story
Read award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing, with exclusive news, interviews, columns, investigations, stable tours and subscriber-only emails.
Subscribe to unlock
- Racing Post digital newspaper (worth over £100 per month)
- Award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing
- Expert tips from the likes of Tom Segal and Paul Kealy
- Replays and results analysis from all UK and Irish racecourses
- Form study tools including the Pro Card and Horse Tracker
- Extensive archive of statistics covering horses, trainers, jockeys, owners, pedigree and sales data
Already a subscriber?Log in
Published on inStable Tours
Last updated
- 'He's the most exciting horse we've had at this stage of his career - and he's in great shape'
- 'She deserves to be prominent in the betting - this has been her number one target'
- 'He looked different gravy last time and the form has worked out well'
- 'She's Triumph material and I think she's top-class' - Willie Mullins' horse-by-horse guide to his Cheltenham Festival team
- 'Everybody knows I love her but State Man is going to be a different animal this time' - Gordon Elliott goes through his festive squad
- 'He's the most exciting horse we've had at this stage of his career - and he's in great shape'
- 'She deserves to be prominent in the betting - this has been her number one target'
- 'He looked different gravy last time and the form has worked out well'
- 'She's Triumph material and I think she's top-class' - Willie Mullins' horse-by-horse guide to his Cheltenham Festival team
- 'Everybody knows I love her but State Man is going to be a different animal this time' - Gordon Elliott goes through his festive squad