TRICKY TRICKSTER
7-11-04
Form: 422121-219
Owner: Chris Giles
Trainer: Paul Nicholls
Breeder: Donie O’Brien
An 8,500 euros purchase from Fairyhouse as a four-year-old, Tricky Trickster easily won his only point-to-point start for County Wexford trainer Denis Murphy at Dromahane in County Cork on April 5, 2008. Just 11 days later he was bought by the Million In Mind Partnership for £40,000 at a Brightwells sale at Cheltenham racecourse, joining Nigel Twiston-Davies.
After finishing fourth and second on two novice hurdle starts, he finished runner-up on his fencing debut in a novices’ handicap chase at Newbury in November, 2008. He returned to the Berkshire course the following month to win a similar event over three miles before having to settle for second again at Cheltenham on January 24 last year.
He was put away until the 2009 Cheltenham Festival, when he relished a step up in trip for the four miles of the National Hunt Chase, which he won by 10 lengths under amateur Sam Waley-Cohen. The rider’s father Robert was one of those who tried to buy Tricky Trickster when offered in Million In Mind’s dispersal at Doncaster in May but it was Paul Nicholls, acting for owner Chris Giles, who had the successful bid of £320,000.
The John Smith’s Grand National has been the aim ever since and the seven-year-old finished second when reappearing over hurdles at Fontwell on January 24 before - possibly benefiting from stablemate Denman’s fall - winning the Grade Two AON Chase at Newbury on February 13.
He contested the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup last time out but was a wellbeaten ninth behind Imperial Commander.
Race Record: Starts: 9; 1st: 3; 2nd: 4; 3rd: 0; Win & Place Prize Money: £89,884
Chris Giles: Although he’d had horses with Paul Nicholls for a year beforehand, it was at Doncaster’s Spring Sale in May last year that owner Chris Giles shot to prominence when paying £320,000 for Tricky Trickster from the annual Million In Mind Partnership dispersal. Although now based at Cobham in Surrey, Giles hails from Scotland where his father Michael founded Giles Insurance Brokers in 1967. Chris Giles, with his brother Nick, helped grow the company which now employs 1,000 people and places in excess of £300 million in premiums annually. Although the company was sold for £185 million in February, 2008, Chris Giles is still CEO of its parent company, the Giles Group. Among the other horses owned by Giles, who was valued at £42 million in the 2009 Sunday Times Rich List, are Red Harbour, winner of the EBF Novices’ Hurdle Final at Sandown on March 13, and novice chaser Tchicos Polos, who completed a double for the owner at his local track the same afternoon. No previous John Smith’s Grand National runners
Paul Nicholls: The son of a policeman, was born on April 17, 1962, and has been training at Manor Farm Stables in Ditcheat, Somerset, since taking out a licence on November 1, 1991. He started out in racing as a jump jockey and twice rode the winner of the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup at Newbury - in 1986 on Broadheath and a year later on Playschool, both sent out by Devon trainer David Barons. Nicholls partnered 130 winners between 1980 and 1989, struggling always to keep his weight down, and nominates the best horses he rode as Broadheath, Playschool and Seagram. Between 1989 and 1991, he was assistant trainer to Barons, who sent out Seagram to win the 1991 Grand National at Aintree during that time.
He started out at Paul Barber's Manor Farm with eight horses. Having strongly challenged Martin Pipe for the jump trainers' championship over a number of years, most notably when pushing his great rival right to the last day of the 2004/05 campaign, Nicholls claimed his first title the following season, being responsible for 148 winners and gaining over £2.4 million in prize money. He retained the title the next season with 124 successes and nearly £2,950,000 in prize money.
The hugely talented Kauto Star was the stable's flag-bearer, with victories in the Old Roan Chase at Aintree, the Betfair Chase at Haydock Park, Sandown's Tingle Creek Chase, the King George VI Chase at Kempton, Newbury's AON Chase and the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup. Kauto Star thus became the first horse to land the Betfair Million, the huge bonus put up by the leading betting exchange for success in the Betfair Chase, King George VI Chase and totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup. In the 2007/08 season, Kauto Star was runner-up in the Gold Cup but Nicholls also trained his conqueror, the mighty Denman, and ended up champion trainer again with 151 winners and over £3.6 million in prize money. In the 2008/09 season, Nicholls was champion again with his best tally yet of 155 winners and just under £3.5 million in prize money.
That season, Kauto Star landed a third King George VI Chase and became the first horse to reclaim the Gold Cup when defeating Denman by 13 lengths. Nicholls pulled off the amazing feat of saddling seven winners and three seconds from his 10 runners on Saturday, November 7, 1998, and made history when he became the first trainer to saddle six winners on the same card, at Wincanton, his local track, on Saturday, January 21, 2006.
Another high point in his training career came at the 1999 Cheltenham Festival when he captured the major chase on each of the three days - Flagship Uberalles in The Irish Independent Arkle Chase, Call Equiname in the Queen Mother Champion Chase and, best of all, See More Business took the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup. Nicholls has trained 27 Cheltenham Festival winners in total, and was the most successful trainer at The Festival in 1999, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. In 2009, as well as Kauto Star’s triumph, he saddled Master Minded to a second win in the Seasons Holidays Queen Mother Champion Chase, while Big Buck’s captured the staying hurdlers’ crown when winning the Ladbrokes World Hurdle.
Other highlights at The Festival so far include Azertyuiop’s victories in The Irish Independent Arkle Trophy and the Seasons Holidays Queen Mother Champion Chase. His feat in 2009 of saddling the winners of the Seasons Holidays Queen Mother Champion Chase, the Ladbrokes World Hurdle and the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup had only been achieved once before (by Jim Dreaper in 1975). This season Denman landed a second Hennessy Gold Cup under top-weight, while Kauto Star became the first horse to win the King George VI Chase for a fourth consecutive year. However, he was unable to land the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup this year, with Kauto Star falling four out and Denman finishing second to Imperial Commander. Master Minded was also unable to retain his Champion Chase crown, finishing only fourth, although Big Buck’s did land a second consecutive Ladbrokes World Hurdle.
John Smith’s Grand National Record: 1992 Just So (6th); 1996 Vicompt De Valmont (10th), Deep Bramble (PU bef 2 out), Brackenfield (UR 19th); 1997 Straight Talk (Fell 14th); 1998 What A Hand (Fell 1st), Court Melody (Fell 6th), General Crack (PU 11th); 1999 Strong Chairman (15th), Double Thriller (Fell 1st), 2000 Earthmover (Fell 4th), Torduff Express (Fell 13th), Flaked Oats (Fell 20th), Escartefigue (UR 30th); 2001 Earthmover (Fell 4th); 2002 Murt’s Man (PU bef 17th), Ad Hoc (BD 27th); 2003 Montifault (5th), Fadalko (UR 6th), Ad Hoc (UR 19th), Shotgun Willy (PU bef 22nd), Torduff Express (UR 27th); 2004 Exit To Wave (PU bef 9th); 2005 Royal Auclair (2nd), Heros Collonges (8th), L’Aventure (15th), Ad Hoc (Fell 22nd); 2006 Royal Auclair (Fell 1st), Le Roi Miguel (PU bef 19th), Cornish Rebel (PU bef 19th), Silver Birch (Fell 15th), Le Duc (UR 8th), Heros Collonges (UR 15th); 2007 Royal Auclair (Fell 9th), Le Duc (UR 6th), Eurotrek (PU bef 22nd), Thisthatandtother (PU bef 30th); 2008 Cornish Sett (12th), Mr Pointment (PU bef last), Turko (Fell 25th); 2009 My Will (3rd), Big Fella Thanks (6th), Cornish Sett (17th), Eurotrek (PU 17th)
