Paul Nicholls equals Martin Pipe's record of 3,930 jumps winners
Fasol's short-head victory at Windsor takes Paul Nicholls to 3,930 British jumps winners, equalling Martin Pipe's longstanding record.
Paul Nicholls drew level with Martin Pipe's longstanding record of 3,930 British jumps winners on Saturday when Fasol prevailed by a short head in a handicap hurdle at Windsor, bringing the Ditcheat trainer alongside one of the defining figures in modern National Hunt racing.
Fasol, sent off at 11-1 in the two-mile Cutler And Gross Handicap Hurdle, was ridden by Freddie Gingell and held off Watamu, trained by Emma Lavelle, after a prolonged battle that required a photograph to separate the pair. The victory gave Nicholls his 3,930th winner in Britain since he began training in 1991.
Nicholls was at Cheltenham, where Quebecois had finished fifth in the Paddy Power Gold Cup, when Fasol secured the landmark. He said he had been in the Arkle Bar with owner Max McNeill and had almost overlooked the Windsor runner before watching the finish. He paid tribute to the staff at Ditcheat and made clear that the immediate objective is to claim the record outright.
The achievement places Nicholls level with Pipe, whose methods and relentless accumulation of winners transformed British jump racing in the 1990s and early 2000s. Pipe retired in 2006, having set a benchmark that appeared formidable even as Nicholls built one of the most successful operations in the sport.
Nicholls has accumulated his total across more than three decades, combining championship campaigns with a succession of high-class horses. His major victories include multiple Cheltenham Gold Cups, King George VI Chases and Champion Chases, while his sustained success in ordinary races has been equally important to the scale of the record.
The circumstances of Saturday's winner were characteristic of that wider achievement. Fasol, a seven-year-old with previous Flat form in France, was not the yard's most prominent runner of the afternoon. His narrow success nevertheless carried the same statistical weight as any championship victory and underlined the contribution of the whole stable to Nicholls' career total.
The record has arrived during a period when the dry autumn has disrupted the British jumps programme and restricted opportunities for some horses. Nicholls had been approaching Pipe's mark for several weeks, but progress towards the final few winners was slower than might ordinarily have been expected.
He has an opportunity to move clear on Sunday, with Pourquoi Pas Papa entered in a novice handicap chase at Cheltenham. Whether the next winner arrives immediately or later, equalling Pipe's total represents a substantial milestone in the history of British jump racing.
By TP Editorial
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