Dan Skelton has transformed some horses into winning machines of late, including some of those housed by his former boss.
Joe Napier: Nicholls vs Skelton is the subplot of the season
The victories of Talk To The Man and, in particular, Captain Teague are unlikely to have been met with much delight in Ditcheat territory. Both were former inmates of Paul Nicholls, and both have won first time out this campaign.
Captain Teague decided to rub it in even further by beating a Nicholls-trained odds-on favourite in former dinner-table buddy Tutti Quanti. There should have been 18lb between the pair.
Who would you call?
There is no doubt that Skelton’s new-guard attraction, fresh off a first trainers’ title and already chasing a Martin Pipe record never since bested, makes him the more reliable man to go to in 2026. He has trained 121 winners this jumps season already and earned over £1 million for his connections. By contrast, Nicholls has 13 winners and has just scraped past the £150,000 mark.
Yet, if I were lucky enough to have a budding hopeful with the top table in my sights, there is still only one I’d call. And that is the man who has won four Gold Cups.
This is a scenario not to be confused with one in which I have purchased an experienced handicapper on the sly. Then, I’d choose Skelton, the man who knows how to plot a modern-day handicap campaign to ensure his horses peak at the right time. Readers can note numerous examples, including Thistle Ask‘s improvement last season, Madara‘s day in the sun at Prestbury Park, and even Here Comes Georgie‘s recent Showcase meeting success.
Skelton’s Grade 1 team lacks depth
Who will be running for the pair in the big Grade 1s, though? Once again, the numbers would appear to favour Skelton, but what is the depth there compared to those he may be facing?
Grey Dawning, L’Eau du Sud and Protektorat can pick up top-level races when the cards fall nicely. The first and last-named will be ten and 12 come March, though, and L’Eau du Sud has been regularly put in his place by Il Etait Temps.
Mydaddypaddy and The New Lion offer fresh hope, but neither won relatively weak editions of the Supreme and Champion Hurdle respectively last season, certainly in terms of strength in depth. Why would the youngster have enough to beat Lossiemouth on any evidence, and is The New Lion tough enough to beat hardy stayers over 3m?
Both Mets Ta Ceinture, in novice hurdles, and Kabral Du Mathan, over fences, are new-blood offerings that hint at what might be around the corner once Skelton sets his sights on world domination rather than sheer, overwhelming quantity. But for now, Nicholls has at least as many promising types.
Nicholls still has plenty of ammunition
There will not be a championship star in his ranks, unless things do not work out for the undeniably talented No Drama This End over fences this season. Everything went wrong for the grey last season, but he would be unbeaten otherwise, and the staying novice hurdlers from last season look a mixed bunch. The Brown Advisory is there for the taking if he does indeed take after Denman, and the Stayers’ Hurdle would be realistic if fences get in the way.
Tutti Quanti, too, has plenty of time to develop into a top-class novice chaser when the rain falls, as his Betfair Hurdle triumph proves. A more sensible, patient ride next time out could do wonders. Quebecois went very close to winning at Cheltenham last season and remains a novice. He could be very dangerous with the right preparation.
There is Twinjets, as big an improver last term as many not named Thistle Ask. His win at Ayr hinted that Graded chases will now be the best fit, and that 149 is none too high a mark if he gets handicapped.
Two money spinners catch the eye
However, it is two money spinners who catch the eye most for Nicholls as the season proper gets under way. Regent’s Stroll and Caldwell Potter have been vilified in similar terms to their trainer due to their price tags.
Regent’s Stroll has already been second in Grade 1 company, though, and Caldwell Potter has won there, gamely doing so at Aintree in April 2025 before missing the entirety of last season. Would they not be ideal types for a King George? How many of those is too many for a man with 13 already?
It gives food for thought for those writing Nicholls off just because some of his former stars now reside with his old assistant. Skelton’s aim is true enough that championship races await in his future. But they are firmly within Nicholls’ trophy cabinet already. Do not completely rule out more arriving this year.
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