Sports News - Sporting Chronicle

Paul Nicholls Racehorse Trainer

Paul Nicholls Address

Manor Farm Stables, Ditcheat, Shepton Mallet, Somerset BA4 6RD

Telephone Number 01749 860656

Fax Number 01749 860523

Paul Nicholls Racing Stable on the Map

One horse that I won some races on was called Baluchi.

He was a good local "gaff" track horse owned by Derek Squire ( a lock-maker from Willenhall ) winning many races around Bangor, Southwell, Ludlow, Hereford, Market Rasen etc for quite a number of different jockeys including Peter Scudamore, Guy Landau, Gary Lyons, Alan Juckes, Robert Stronge and myself, Richard Bevan.

The first time I rode him was at Wolverhampton on Boxing Day 1987 in the feature race of the day the Harry Brown Challenge Cup Handicap Chase. I remember that we were very well fancied, John Sanders of the Shropshire Star napped us but after hitting the first open ditch very hard we were always playing catch up and ended up being a bit of a one-paced third behind the Fred Winter trained Larry-O ridden by Ben de Haan

Harry Brown Challenge Cup Handicap Chase
26 Dec 1987
Over 2 miles 4 furlongs and 15 fences
Winner £3,954.00

1st Larry-O - Trainer Fred Winter - Age 7 - Weight 10-1 1ow - Jockey B De Haan - Odds 11/2
2nd Mister Feathers - Trainer Jeff King - Age 6 - Weight 10-0 blinkered - Jockey A Webb - Odds 6/1
3rd Baluchi - Trainer Bill Preece - Age 6 - Weight 11-6 - Jockey R Bevan(7) - Odds 5/2F

7 ran TIME 5 minutes 15.50 seconds
1st OWNER: Denis Andrews BRED: Edmond And Cora Cronin TRAINER: F T Winter
2nd OWNER: Mrs M Forde
3rd OWNER: D E Squire

Next time I got the leg up was at Ayr in the Hamilton Campbell Challenge Cup Handicap Chase. It was a long way to go with the horse but connections must have thought they had a chance. Only three runners but they were not bad horses, the one horse Allten Glazed had won an Arkle Chase and the other horse Kamir was ridden by the very popular claiming rider Jamie Osborne. They were joint favourites with Baluchi the outsider and the betting proved to be right.

Hamilton Campbell Challenge Cup Handicap Chase
29 Jan 1988
Over 2 miles 4 furlongs and 17 fences
Winner £2,305.20

1st Kamir (FR) - Trainer K A Morgan - Age 8 - Weight 10-3 - Jockey J Osborne(4) - Odds 5/4F
2nd Allten Glazed - Trainer M P Naughton - Age 11 - Weight 11-11 - Jockey M Hammond - Odds 5/4F
3rd Baluchi - Trainer B Preece - Age 7 - Weight 10-12 - Jockey R Bevan(7) - Odds 4/1

3 ran TIME 5 minutes 35.20 seconds slow by 46.20seconds
1st OWNER: F C Brown BRED: Mr Joseph Questin TRAINER: K A Morgan
2nd OWNER: Mrs W Widdall
3rd OWNER: D E Squire

I didn't ride him the next twice he ran. First he fell with Peter Scudamore and then was fourth ridden by Guy Landau. Both races were at Sandown Park.

Then it was my turn again at Stratford in the Welford Handicap Chase. Not a particularly strong race he carried top weight. We were not well fancied but we had quite a nice confidence giving pop round to finish fourth. Just what the horse needed after having to jump the big fences at Sandown Park.

Welford Handicap Chase
10 Mar 1988
Over 2 miles
Winner £2,243.00

1st Spanish Streak - Trainer R G Brazington - Age 11 - Weight 11-2 - Jockey D Browne - Odds 66/1
2nd Bright Morning I - Trainer L G Cottrell - Age 10 - Weight 10-5 - Jockey R Millman - Odds 20/1
3rd Harley Street Man - Trainer C F C Jackson - Age 7 - Weight 10-9 7ow - Jockey R Rowe - Odds 13/8F
4th Baluchi - Trainer B Preece - Age 7 - Weight 11-7 - Jockey R Bevan(7) - Odds 11/1
5th Pantechnicon - Trainer N J Henderson - Age 8 - Weight 10-2 - Jockey M Bowlby - Odds 14/1
6th Rambling Wild - Trainer P W Harris - Age 7 - Weight 10-13 - Jockey J Duggan - Odds 14/1
7th New Kayber - Trainer Mrs Gill E Jones - Age 9 - Weight 10-3 3ow - Odds - Odds 25/1

PU Rusty Roc - Trainer M W Davies - Age 7 - Weight 10-5 - Odds - Odds 9/2

PU Tenesong - Trainer B Smart - Age 9 - Weight 10-6 - Jockey J Osborne(4) - Odds 10/1

PU Details Galore - Trainer D L Williams - Age 7 - Weight 10-0 - Jockey J D Doyle - Odds 66/1

F Worthy Knight - Trainer B McLean - Age 7 - Weight 10-10 - Jockey B Storey - Odds 7/1

PU Finnesko - Trainer S Christian - Age 10 - Weight 10-3 - Jockey R J Beggan - Odds 20/1

PU Steel Venture - Trainer A P James - Age 9 - Weight 10-0 - Jockey J Bryan - Odds 33/1


13 ran TIME 4 minutes 29.40 seconds
1st OWNER: Michael Ewbank BRED: A Gadd TRAINER: R G Brazington
2nd OWNER: Mrs Nerys Dutfield
3rd OWNER: J P Powis

Then I rode him at Ludlow in the Aston Handicap Chase. I knew we were fancied this time because Bill Preece the trainer told me "don't come back if you f*cking well get beaten" (something like that). We duly won.

Aston Handicap Chase
25 Mar 1988
Over 2 miles and 13 fences
Winner £2,134.50

1st Baluchi B Preece 7 11-7 R Bevan(7) 9/2

2nd Outlaw I J A C Edwards 9 11-5 T Morgan 2/1F

3rd Pan Arctic T T Bill 9 10-11 1 C Kellett 9/1

4th Broad Beam Mrs M Rimell 8 11-0 J Bryan 5/1

5th Fare Love Mrs S A Evans 9 10-7 P Warner 25/1

6th Dundalk Bells T Morton 6 10-0 N Hawke(7) 16/1

7th Itsgottabealright Mrs W D Sykes 11 12-7 C Llewellyn 12/1

PU Nudge Nudge N M Lampard 8 10-4 M Williams 14/1

PU Steel Venture A P James 9 9-7 W Hayes(7) 33/1

9 ran TIME 4 minutes 15.90 seconds slow by 21.90 seconds
1st OWNER: D E Squire BRED: Mrs D B Mulley TRAINER: B Preece
2nd OWNER: H D White
3rd OWNER: Mrs R Bill

Bank Holiday Easter Monday 1988 and I got the ride again at Market Rasen in the Easter Handicap Chase. I went to the races in the horse box along with Baluchi. Walking the course before racing I noticed the going was very heavy so I plotted my own route in the race keeping to the outside down the home straight and cutting to the inner down the back. During the race Baluchi hit the last ditch hard when I gave him a couple of cracks round the backside. He fairly flew home winning by 20 lengths.

Easter Handicap Chase
04 Apr 1988
Over 2 miles
Winner £1,999.80, 2nd £552.80, 3rd £263.40

1st Baluchi B Preece 7 11-8 5 R Bevan(7) 5/4F

2nd Wild Argosy D L Williams 9 10-5 9 N Fearn(4) 9/2

3rd Wise Cracker Mrs S Pepper 7 11-7 b P Niven 11/2

4th Fair Babu S N Burt 14 9-8 1 S Turner(7) 50/1

5th Kevinsfort J G Fitzgerald 10 10-9 J Hayes(7) 3/1

PU Keycorn J W Blundell 8 10-0 b M Brennan 8/1

6 ran
1st OWNER: D E Squire BRED: Mrs D B Mulley TRAINER: B Preece
2nd OWNER: John Medler
3rd OWNER: S Dalton

We were on a roll, could we make it a hat-trick of wins? We were off to Perth for the Perth Festival in April 1988 to run in the Duncrievie Handicap Chase. What a great experience, travelling up in the horse box the day before racing, staying overnight, taking care of the horse that night and then riding him to win in the race.

Duncrievie Handicap Chase
13 Apr 1988
Over 2 miles and 12 fences
Winner £1,222.30, 2nd £336.80, 3rd £160.90

1st Baluchi B Preece 7 12-1 3 R Bevan(7) 6/4F

2nd Tactico W D Fairgrieve 6 10-1 61 M Hammond 4/1

3rd Queens Palace D Burchell 10 10-6 13 D J Burchell(7) 20/1

4th Wise Cracker Mrs S Pepper 7 11-13 b P Niven 12/1

5th Music Be Magic G Richards 9 12-6 C Grant 2/1

PU Tumble Jim T W Cunningham 9 10-2 S Cunningham(7) 20/1

6 ran TIME 4 minutes 2.80seconds slow by 8.80 seconds
1st OWNER: D E Squire BRED: Mrs D B Mulley TRAINER: B Preece
2nd OWNER: Ian G M Dalgleish
3rd OWNER: C A Shone

I only rode Baluchi once more and that was first time out the following season at Bangor-on-Dee. It was my first day as a professional jockey and I had five rides and Baluchi was one of them in the Sotheby's Chester Handicap Chase. It was a tricky little race in which we were carrying top weight, we were fancied a bit as there were only three runners. Baluchi clouted the open ditch - it is the fence after the water jump (the water jump is in front of the stands at Bangor) and could only gallop on at the one pace always being comfortably held by the winner Tom Caxton who we gave two stone.

Sotheby's Chester Handicap Chase
15 Oct 1988
Over 2 miles
Winner £3,010.10, 2nd £833.60, 3rd £398.30

1st Tom Caxton J S King 7 9-11 I Lawrence(7) 4/1

2nd Baluchi B Preece 7 11-11 R Bevan(7) 15/8

3rd Akram R J Hodges 10 10-7 5 W Irvine(4) 10/11F

3 ran TIME 4 minutes 17.30 seconds
1st OWNER: Mark O'Connor BRED: S Hoddinott TRAINER: J S King
2nd OWNER: D E Squire
3rd OWNER: Sydney E Allen

Still, it wasn't that bad a day for me as I won the Willis Wrightson North Handicap Chase later in the afternoon on Crowecopper.

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