Six stars remembered as master trainer Paul Nicholls brings up 3,000 winners

As Paul Nicholls hits 3,000 career winners, here are six horses who helped define the ten-time champion jumps trainer

Kauto Star

Considered by many to be the finest jumps horse since Arkle, Kauto Star is the horse with whom Paul Nicholls will forever be best associated.

A winner of 23 of his 41 career starts including two Gold Cups, five King George VI Chases, four Betfair Chases and two Tingle Creeks – his resumé says it all.

Denman

Nicknamed 'The Tank' owing to his imposing physical appearance, Denman was Kauto Star's contemporary and, depending who you ask, possibly a finer chaser.

He is perhaps best remembered for his destructive performance in the 2008 Gold Cup, yet Denman's exploits when carrying top weight to two Hennessey Gold Cup (now Ladbrokes Trophy) victories perhaps say more about his awesome ability.

Denman: winner of the 2008 Cheltenham Gold CupCredit: Edward Whitaker

Those wins made him the first horse since Arkle to land consecutive wins in Newbury's showpiece event.

Big Buck's

Another horse who headlined Nicholls' golden era of the late 2000s, Big Buck's can be described as the finest staying hurdler of all time, bar none.

His four consecutive Stayers' Hurdle victories put him at the top of the pecking order without question. However, it was his consistency and longevity that cement that position – 18 wins in a row, 17 of which came at Graded level.

Master Minded

On his second start for Nicholls, Master Minded won a handicap chase off a mark of 145, only three starts later he was rated 186.

His 19-length victory in the 2008 Queen Mother Champion Chase is surely one of the greatest of any Cheltenham Festival and was supplemented by a further ten Graded victories.

Azertyuiop

Remembered for his great rivalry with the equally brilliant Moscow Flyer, Azertyuiop won the 2003 Arkle by 11 lengths before going on to take the following year's Champion Chase by nine lengths.

Azertyuiop: winner of the Champion Chase in 2004Credit: Edward Whitaker

He was part of great period for two-mile chasing and one of the horses, following on from 1999 Gold Cup hero See More Business, to make Nicholls a household name early on in his burgeoning career.

Neptune Collonges

Overshadowed to an extent by contemporaries Denman and Kauto Star, this distinctive grey had his moment in the sun in 2012 when he triumphed in the Grand National by a nose from Sunnyhillyboy.

Back-to-back victories in the Punchestown Gold Cup in 2007 and 2008 illustrated his class, but it is his grit and determination that afternoon at Aintree that will always be a career highlight.

Don't miss the Racing Post Cheltenham Festival Guide 2019 – 208 pages featuring Paul Kealy's race-by-race guide, Racing Post Ratings, top tipsters, bookmakers Q&A, trainer analysis and much more. Order now at racingpost.com/shop or call 01933 304858

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