Paul Nicholls - Manor Farm Stables
After leaving school at 16, Paul went to Dick Baimbridge’s yard and started riding in local point-to-points and in 1981, when it was time to move on, Paul took up a pupil assistant’s job with Kevin Bishop’s before moving on to Josh Gifford’s for two years before settling at David Barons in 1984 for seven years. In his five-year stint as stable jockey there Paul won back-to-back Hennessey Gold Cups with Playschool in ’86 and Broadheath in ’87, as well as winning the Irish Gold Cup in ’87 on the latter.
Paul started training in 1991 at Manor Farm Stables, Ditcheat, Somerset when the yard had 28 stables and originally Paul could only fill eight of them, one of them being his father’s Olveston… the horse who goes down in history as the trainer’s first winner.
Manor Farm Stables is now one of the most individually successful training establishments in the country and has seen over 1500 winners pass through its gates in Paul’s care, including three Cheltenham Gold Cup winners as well as collecting three Champion Trainers’ titles. Capacity is now 120 and with about 160 horses looking for a stable at any given time… the future looks strong.
