Paul Nicholls prepares to launch a two-pronged challenge at the Coral Challow Hurdle just a day after announcing the retirement of Frodon


  •  Paul Nicholls announced the retirement of stable stalwart Frodon on Friday
  • His runners in Saturday’s Grade One feature are Captain Teague and Farnoge
  • They will try to follow in the footsteps of five previous Nicholls-trained winners

Paul Nicholls launches a two-pronged challenge at the Coral Challow Hurdle with horses he hopes are the future at his Ditcheat base, 24 hours after announcing the retirement of stable stalwart Frodon.

Nicholls’ runners in Saturday afternoon’s Grade One feature are Captain Teague and Farnoge.

They will be trying to follow in the footsteps of five previous Nicholls-trained winners of the race, which include Denman. But the champion trainer would probably settle now for future careers which get close to matching Frodon.

His last run was his fifth place in the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day, a race he memorably won in 2020.

Frodon’s partnership with Bryony Frost connected with the racing public, and their victory in the 2019 Ryanair Chase prompted some of the loudest celebrations ever seen at the Cheltenham Festival.

Paul Nicholls launches a two-pronged challenge at the Coral Challow Hurdle on Saturday

Paul Nicholls launches a two-pronged challenge at the Coral Challow Hurdle on Saturday

It will come just 24 hours after announcing the retirement of stable stalwart Frodon

It will come just 24 hours after announcing the retirement of stable stalwart Frodon 

Frodon will spend his retirement with Frost at her father’s Devon stable alongside another of her favourite horses, Black Corton. He ends his career having won 19 of his 52 races and almost £1.2million in prizemoney.

Nicholls is likely to parade Frodon at Cheltenham — where the horse competed at six Festivals — on New Year’s Day. He said: ‘I had a good conversation with the owner and we decided it was the right time for him to retire.

‘He has been an amazing horse. The King George was a pinnacle and his partnership with Bryony was good for the sport. He deserves to have a good retirement.’

On his Challow contenders, Nicholls said: ‘You won’t see the best of either of them until they go chasing, and it is a very hot race.

‘Captain Teague is learning all the time and Farnoge loves the soft ground and has kept on improving. His Ascot win has worked out and it would not surprise me if he runs well.’



Source link