Grade 1-winning trainer Mitchell back in business after more than a year out

Nick Mitchell, who enjoyed Grade 1 success in Ireland with 2009 JNWine.com Champion Chase winner The Listener, is resuming his training career from new premises near Sherborne in Dorset.

Mitchell worked for both Paul Nicholls and Robert Alner before starting his own operation in 2008, but then relinquished his licence at the end of the 2018-19 jumps season.

However, he was granted his licence back last Friday and will initially train a team of 14. Smart novice chase prospect Lieutenant Rocco, owned by his backer Syd Hosie, heads the string from the repurposed Sandhills Farm Stables, with scope to add further boxes and take in horses for other owners if it goes well.

Explaining how his return came about, Mitchell said: "I didn’t want to stop training but I had to. I’d since done some consultancy work for the National Trainers Federation and been looking at something with the BHA possibly when along came Covid and recruitment basically ceased.

Lieutenant Rocco is Nick Mitchell's new star turn after moving from Colin Tizzard's yardCredit: Edward Whitaker

"Then Syd rang me and asked me to come and have a look at his place, and that was exciting as we’ve known each other for years and share the same passion for jump racing. He lives and breathes it, and for somebody to make this sort of investment in the sport in the current climate is very good news, and not just for me."

He added: "Syd is a massive enthusiast and has owned horses for years. I’m a salaried trainer and the horses will race for his company, Sherborne Utilities, but although it’s a private establishment at the moment that may change if we do well.

"It’s all brand new and we have 14 boxes full, a five-furlong woodchip hill gallop, a two-furlong deep sand circle, and all of the schooling facilities we need.”

Mitchell, who hopes to have his first runners at Taunton this month, is especially looking forward to Lieutenant Rocco, who won two novice hurdles and led early on before being pulled up in the Albert Bartlett last season when trained by Colin Tizzard.

He said: "He’s already shown himself to be a very decent horse and is a proper chasing type. He’ll be a while, but I’m really excited by him. The others are decent young stock from different backgrounds, plus some handicappers, the majority sourced by Tom Malone."

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