Paul Nicholls revamps scouting team with daughter Megan set for key role

Paul Nicholls is set to use his daughter Megan more to source horses for his yard and insists his string will bounce back, despite the testing season he has so far endured.

Pic D'Orhy's victory in the 2024 Ascot Chase almost exactly a year ago was the last time Nicholls has won a Grade 1, with high-profile purchases such as Caldwell Potter and Regent's Stroll so far struggling to live up to their lofty price tags.

Some of the spotlight has fallen on Tom Malone, the bloodstock agent Nicholls has used to purchase a host of his horses. While Megan, who also does punditry work with ITV Racing and Racing TV, will be used more often by Nicholls, the trainer said he and Malone remain on good terms.

"Everything has been blown out of proportion a bit. Megan's been trying to find a few for me and she's obviously busy with TV commitments, but she's found some nice horses for others and is keen to find me some," Nicholls told the Nick Luck Daily podcast.

"Tom's found some nice horses over the years, but over the last three or four years we've probably lacked some stars and we've got to keep looking forward. Tom has lots of clients and doesn't just work for me, so I can use who I want as well and will look down other avenues.

He added: "It's no big thing. Tom and I have always been mates and will continue to be, but it doesn't mean I've got to use him to buy everything. It goes without saying we could've had a better record over the past two or three years."

Megan Nicholls (centre): combines her TV punditry duties with sourcing horsesCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

Nicholls sits second in the 2024-25 British jumps trainers' championship and is nearly £670,000 behind leader – and his former assistant – Dan Skelton. The 14-time champion is currently operating at his lowest seasonal strike-rate for 30 years, but believes his fortunes will turn.

"Top-class horses don't grow on trees but I've been amazingly lucky to have had so many Grade 1 winners," he said. "It takes a bit of a cycle and we've got a lot of young horses coming through. Some of them will be good at the job but you can't expect to have those top horses all of the time.

"Without a shadow of a doubt, since they've had their last flu jab a lot of them have underperformed. I know some of the younger horses haven't been quite right. As a trainer you'd like to see that at home, but nobody is coughing or has a dirty nose. The flu jabs seem to have knocked us for six and sideways this year.

"It will come right, we've always got the best out of what we've got and will continue to do so. In 33 years of training it's probably the first time we've ever had a quieter time, but we'll be back."

Pic D'Orhy bids for successive wins in the Betfair-backed Ascot Chase on Saturday, in which he faces five rivals including L'Homme Presse and Corbetts Cross.

Read more:

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Confirmed runners and riders for Saturday's Ascot Chase 

Caldwell Potter was certainly no bargain - but he's nowhere near as bad as those who find fun in failure are making out

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