At the 2010 Cheltenham Festival it is quite possible that Paul Nichols will break the record for the number of winning horses over the four days. It is yet to be seen whether or not he achieved this feat, but unarguably Paul Nichols is one of the most successful trainers of all time, so what is it that stands him head and shoulders above most of the rest?

Unlike many in his field, Paul Nichols was not born into the horse racing world. He made his own way there and fought his way up from stable lad to jump racing champion.

His father was a policeman and Nichols did not perform well academically at school. He left it as soon as he could and started working with horses and by the time he was 22 he had become a stable jockey working with David Barons. His career as a jockey was successful and scored many big wins which included the Hennessy Gold Cup in 1986 and 1987. In total he achieved 133 wins over seven years as a jockey before turning his attention to training in 1991 and before long was producing winners.

His first Grade One winner was with See More Indians in 1993 in a Novices Chase at Kempton but it was at the Cheltenham Festival where his real abilities were displayed for the first time. In the 1999 Festival he achieved wins in three of the champion races: Call Equiname won the Queen Mother Champion Chase; Flagship Uberalles won the Arkle Chase; and See More Business won the Cheltenham Gold Cup. His success continued and in 2006 he was awarded Champion Jump Trainer.

For a trainer to be successful it is necessary to have an excellent working relationship with the jockeys who ride for him, and Nichols achieved this with Ruby Walsh, one of the best jockeys in the current line up. Together they have been able to build on synergies that have led to a staggering number of wins and a handful of some of the all-time greatest jump horses; horses such as Kauto Star, Denman, Master Minded; all can be seen at this year’s festival and most will be seen leading the Cheltenham Betting odds come race day – such is Nichols’ dominance of the racing world.