Frodon trainer Paul Nicholls hails 'one of the best day's racing I've ever had'

Thursday's golden afternoon at the Cheltenham Festival is right up there with the best days Paul Nicholls has ever had on a racecourse and the ten-time champion trainer believes the sport should try to build on the inspirational victories of Frodon and Paisley Park, instead of often dwelling on the negatives.

Cheltenham was electrified on Thursday when the Nicholls-trained Frodon landed the Ryanair under Bryony Frost, whose eloquent and heartwarming tribute to her four-legged partner made front-page national news.

Less than an hour later, Paisley Park provided owner Andrew Gemmell, who has been blind since birth, with the most emotional of triumphs in the Sun Racing Stayers' Hurdle, while Lizzie Kelly quickly followed up with a fine front-running ride on Siruh De Lac in the Brown Advisory & Merriebelle Stable Plate.

Speaking on Saturday, Nicholls said: "I've just said to [Frodon's owner] Paul Vogt that Thursday was one of the best day's racing I've ever had in my life.

"The Ryanair was one of the best races I've seen and I just said thank you to him for letting me run because I was having a bit of a job to persuade him last week!

"He said, 'You're the boss', and I said, 'I just want to try to get it right'.

"It was special though and Frodon is just the most amazing, genuine horse. He's probably not as gifted as a Kauto Star, but he just gives his all and never knows when he's beat. I'm incredibly proud of him."

Nicholls, whose legendary horse Kauto Star lifted the roofs at Haydock and Kempton with his Betfair Chase and King George VI Chase victories in the 2011-12 season, added: "Racing wants to focus on positives like Thursday, not the negatives. We want to be positive about our sport and there were so many positives on that afternoon with Paisley Park – and Lizzie Kelly riding another winner as well.

"That day made racing great and it's why so many people love it; it was the most amazing day's sport. We all should build on the positives from that."

Andrew Gemmell celebrates Paisley Park's victory with trainer Emma LavelleCredit: Edward Whitaker

Nicholls reflected warmly on this year's Cheltenham when he extended his festival tally to 45 winners thanks to Frodon and Topofthegame, who landed the RSA.

"It's been a great week, absolutely superb," he continued.

"To win with Frodon and Topofthegame was awesome because it's so incredibly tough and competitive. I was only saying to my daughter Megan this morning that it's so much harder than it was ten or 15 years ago.

"It's bloody hard to win those races, so to get a couple of Grade 1s means you've had an amazing week. A lot of horses can win all winter and finish fifth or sixth – still running well – at Cheltenham."

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