'It's probably the wackiest idea I've had for the Cheltenham Festival that paid off' - Paul Nicholls on the 'bonkers' suggestion that made Big Buck's

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Paul Nicholls has revealed that owner Andy Stewart told him he was "bonkers" for suggesting Big Buck's should be aimed at the World Hurdle - but had changed his tune by the time the horse was winning the race for a record fourth time.

This year's Cheltenham Festival marks 20 years since the first appearances at the meeting for Kauto Star and Denman, shortly before Big Buck's and Master Minded made their debuts at Auteuil. Marking the anniversary with a major interview in Sunday's Racing Post, Nicholls remembered the four incredible horses who made him the dominant figure in the sport in the years that followed.

"I'll never forget watching him win at Auteuil on TV," said Nicholls, recalling Big Buck's. "I rang Anthony Bromley straight away and asked if he was for sale, as he hadn't mentioned him. He told me that he wasn't, to which I said, 'You'd better make him for sale.' I told him to offer them what we paid for Kauto Star, which was €400,000 – that's not a secret. I thought if I did end up owning him, I'd soon be able to find someone to buy him and that was Andy Stewart.

"Andy would normally spend £120,000 to £150,000 and was never going to spend more than that. I remember saying, 'You've got nice horses but you've not got a real champion. We've found one but he's going to cost you.' He took a few days to think about it but didn't hesitate for long. He was such a good man who will be forever remembered as Mr Big Buck's. After everything he invested, he had his champion."

Andy Stewart (left) after Big Buck's landed his fourth World HurdleCredit: Edward Whitaker

However, there were moments along the way when that did not necessarily look like being the case.

"We tried to go chasing," said Nicholls. "We actually bought him as an Arkle horse but I realised after schooling him over fences that wasn't going to happen, even though he won the Mildmay at Aintree. He had as much ability as Kauto Star but just couldn't jump. After he unseated Sam Thomas in the Hennessy, I knew we had to do something differently, so I put forward the idea of the World Hurdle.

"Andy thought I was bonkers but then he won 18 races on the trot. If he had jumped fences like Kauto or Denman, I'd have had a headache because he was as good as them. He had as much ability as any horse I've ever trained. Had we not had Kauto, we might have persevered with chasing. Switching him to hurdles turned out to be a good idea and it's probably the wackiest one I've had that paid off at Cheltenham."

Read more:

'His last few pieces of work have been so good' - Paul Nicholls in positive mood as Tutti Quanti is supplemented for Champion Hurdle 

Fact To File the shortest-priced Cheltenham Festival favourite as confirmations for day three are revealed 

Gold Cup: star ratings and analysis for the signature race of the Cheltenham Festival 

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