So you think Nicholls and Henderson are good?

Desert Orchid

Desert Orchid

Senior Jockey
Joined
Aug 2, 2005
Messages
25,036
I came across these stats when browsing through some old documents:

A few stats from NH season 1982-83:

Of his 120 winners for the season from just 57 stable representatives, no fewer than 30 won first time out, a mind-boggling strike rate of 52.6%.

Of 184 runners that were made favourite, 54.6% won, which represented 84.2% of all the stable’s winners.

The overall winning strike rate for the yard was 46.3% that season.

The longest price of any winner for the yard was just 16/1 (Sabin Du Loir in the Sun Alliance Hurdle).

Food for thought.
 
Euronymous said:
What was the standard of his peers though?
Click to expand...

same as when Arkle ran..all selling class;)...even a bottom rung trainer these days is better..better diet..less fags smoked..nights out etc

also the trainers then just did it part time..they had other jobs..just did it in the evenings...so weren't that hard to beat
 
Last edited:
i'm surprised Dickinson didn't ever train the first 20 home in a national tbh..i think given time he would have won every race at the Cheltenham festival in one year
 
EC1 said:
same as when Arkle ran..all selling class;)...even a bottom rung trainer these days is better..better diet..less fags smoked..nights out etc

also the trainers then just did it part time..they had other jobs..just did it in the evenings...so weren't that hard to beat
Click to expand...

Nicky Henderson was training at the same time as Dickinson.Getting Da Hoss to win a second Breeders Cup mile was an amazing achievement.
 
Nicky had a paper round during the day though so wasn't as effective as he is now

Arkle..Dickinson and co had it easy really ..no oppo then...poorly fed...wouldn't last 5 minutes nowadays :p

i mean look at Roger Bannister..a right slow coach by todays standards

of course..comparing the present with the past in that way could be viewed as a pointless and meaningless argument;)
 
Last edited:
I think jumps racing was a sport that was very slow to get with the times and although I prefer NH action now I think the flat was better before say the 90s.
 
simmo said:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEm1KHU9E9A
Click to expand...

Amazing that Sabin Du Loir was such a good horse after having leg problems for about four years before joining Pipe.

Dawn Run was a short priced favourite that day as I recall and he toyed with her .

Then he went to Liverpool and won the 2m novice there under a penalty.

One can only wonder might have been had he stayed sound when young.
 
Last edited:
No doubting his ability and even less doubt about his dedication.

I remember a Malton trainer telling me about an invitation to an equine seminar being sent out to all uk trainers. Can't remember the exact details but it was something to do with what makes horse physically tick....the only UK trainer who paid the attendance fee and turned up was MD.

He was a hard man to please though..a jockey could win a grade 1 chase for him and he'd still give them a bollocking because they did some minor thing wrong during the race...anyone who knew anything about the man will tell you he was very hard to please. Perhaps the greatest NH trainer of all time.

I've never regarded PN as a GREAT trainer to me he's a great businessman and a very good trainer that gets the job done. Never met him but he comes across as a bit of a c*** to me. Probably I'm wrong and he's a lovely fella.

Nicky? He's a great team leader imo...I think everyone connected to Seven Barrows from the owners to the guy who only mucks out in the yard are part of the best team in racing and respect the man. Like PN he has a lot of money behind him but it's uncanny how many good horses he finds year after year.
 
He must definitely have had his quirks.

I remember when he set up at Manton for Robert Sangster. He got Sangster to shell out a fortune on what he considered the best of everything yet ended up struggling to send out any winners before packing up and trying his luck across the Pond.

I'm sure if he'd hung around he'd have made it here but maybe those with insider knowledge can tell a different story!
 
Tanlic said:
No doubting his ability and even less doubt about his dedication.

I've never regarded PN as a GREAT trainer to me he's a great businessman and a very good trainer that gets the job done. Never met him but he comes across as a bit of a c*** to me. Probably I'm wrong and he's a lovely fella.

but it's uncanny how many good horses he finds year after year.
Click to expand...

I was a bit late for Dickinson but I don't get the above. Great business,an is damning with faint raise of course and and what basis is that? He can rad a balance sheet better than nh?

For me there are so criteria that ensure that certain trainers stand out from the remainder. The two skills that are probably the most difficult. It's is bringing them back and keeping the, going.

No trainer that I can recall keeps a top horse at the top of his game as skilfully as pn. And few have so consistently brought them back so emphatically

Definitely a great trainer
 
Ardross said:
Amazing that Sabin Du Loir was such a good horse after having leg problems for about four years before joining Pipe.

Dawn Run was a short priced favourite that day as I recall and he toyed with her .

Then he went to Liverpool and won the 2m novice there under a penalty.

One can only wonder might have been had he stayed sound when young.
Click to expand...

I can remember meeting Brian Kilpatrick at Cheltenham some years before . We formed a good relationship as I had been given a tip from the Liverpool Echo racing correspondent for a horse called Asir which I shared with Brian . It won at 16/1 and we had a great night. He proceeded to tell me all about Sabin de Loire which is named after his daughter Sabin,a delightful girl and we profited nicely each time .Trained by MWD to win the Sun Alliance Nov Hurdle in 83 .http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEm1KHU9E9A
 
Back
Top