Paul Nicholls’ Cheltenham winners

Paul Nicholls has a highly impressive record at Cheltenham Festival. Learn more about where he ranks among the most successful trainers and about his winners.

British trainer Paul Nicholls is one of the legends of the sport and has seen success in many different events throughout his career. Nicholls is extremely familiar with Cheltenham Festival, accruing many wins at the event after he transitioned from being a jockey in 1991.

Since he became a trainer however, how many wins has he managed to get? Read more below to find out about his history at the festival, where we look at all his winners, most famous wins, and where he ranks among the most successful trainers.

How many winners has Paul Nicholls had at Cheltenham Festival?

Paul Nicholls achieved his first win in 1999 and has since built on that, with a grand total of 50 winners – and his most recent coming in 2025. He has established a longevity and a legacy that is beaten by few, winning notable races throughout his career such as the Gold Cup, Champion Hurdle, and the Champion Chase.

In which races has Paul Nicholls seen the most Cheltenham winners?

Though winning many events across Cheltenham Festival, there are a few where Nicholls has been especially successful.

His race with the highest wins is the Queen Mother Champion Chase, where he has managed to accrue six winners since his first in 1999. Another event that he has seen strong success in is the Gold Cup, reaching four wins here which includes a remarkable three-peat between 2007 and 2009.

In similarly dominant fashion, Nicholls also won the Stayers Hurdle four times in a row between 2009 and 2012 with the same horse, Big Buck’s. Other events such as the County Hurdle and the St James’ Place Hunter Chase have also seen Nicholls’ name on the winners list a few times (four winners in both).

Paul Nicholls’ Cheltenham winners the last ten years

See below for the list of Cheltenham winners that Paul Nicholls has had over the last decade: 

Paul Nicholls’ most famous Cheltenham wins

Among his 50 wins and winners as of 2025, Paul Nicholls has many famous victories that stand out alongside horses that helped him to see such success. Below are some of the highlights of his Cheltenham career so far.

Champion Chase, 6 wins

A clear favourite of Paul Nicholl’s with him achieving victory on so many occasions; the Champion Chase has seen some of his most iconic victories.

His first came in 1999 with Call Equiname, which, being one of his first ever Cheltenham wins, was an extremely special triumph. He then followed this up five years later in 2004 with Azertyuiop and earned back-to-back wins here in 2008 and 2009 with Master Minded. His final two came a little later, with Dodging Bullets coming in first place in 2015 and Politologue seeing victory most recently in 2020.

See who else has achieved success here, in our guide to Champion Chase winners.

Gold Cup, 4 wins

Another one of Paul Nicholls’ first Cheltenham wins came in the form of the Gold Cup in 1999. See More Business was his original winner, but Nicholls didn’t follow up on this success for another eight years, when one of his more famed horses, Kauto Star, won in 2007. He then quickly added to his wins tally in 2008 with Denman, before making it a three-peat in 2009 (with Kauto Star winning a second time).

Keen to see who else ranks highly in this race? Explore the full range of Cheltenham Gold Cup winners.

Stayers’ Hurdle, 4 wins

Despite struggling for a while to claim victory here, Nicholl’s didn’t want to stop once he finally got going. After claiming his first win in this race in 2009 with Big Buck’s, he then went on to win it for three consecutive years after with the same horse, demonstrating what turned out to be a fantastic partnership.

Discover who else has earned success here, with our blog covering the history of Stayers’ Hurdle winners.

Champion Hurdle, 1 win

Being one of the most impressive wins on his Cheltenham list, victory in the Champion Hurdle is certainly a highlight. Winning in 2012, it was one of the races it took him longest to triumph in, with Rock On Ruby being the horse to finally get him over the line.

Interested in who else has won this race? Explore the history of Champion Chase winners.

Where does Paul Nicholls rank among Cheltenham’s most successful trainers?

With Cheltenham only attracting the best, whether its horses, owners, or trainers, there is lots of competition for whoever takes part. Paul Nicholls, however, has more than managed to put himself up there and deservedly places alongside Cheltenham’s most successful trainers.

Nicholls has placed himself in third for the most wins of all time at Cheltenham, behind only Nicky Henderson and Willie Mullins. This makes him one of only three trainers to saddle 50 winners at Cheltenham, with Mullins and Henderson having 113 and 74 wins respectively. Trailed by the well-renowned Fulke Walwyn who has 40 wins, Nicholls has established himself among the greats of Cheltenham trainers.

How does Paul Nicholls rank among Gold Cup winning trainers?

Regarding the Gold Cup’s, Nicholls has also cemented himself very highly on this list. The record is held by Tom Dreaper who has a total of five wins, only just beating Nicholl’s four. He shares second place with Willie Mullins, Basil Briscoe, Vincent O’Brien, and Fulke Walwyn who also have four wins as well.

Will we see any Paul Nicholls’ Cheltenham winners in 2026?

The National Hunt season has already begun meaning we can already keep an eye out for any horses that Nicholls may have competing at Cheltenham in 2026. One in particular to watch is Jubilee Alpha.

No doubt, Jubilee Alpha will be a highly competitive horse for Nicholls at Cheltenham Festival in 2026. Winning four out of their last ten races and placing second twice in that period, Jubilee Alpha has shown strong potential up to this point. The six-year-old mare finished in eighth place at Cheltenham Festival for the Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle in 2025, but managed to win in the Changing Young Lives At Jamie’s Farm Mares’ Novices Hurdle at the Cheltenham Racecourse meet in April.

Expect to see Jubilee Alpha potentially featuring in the Mares’ Hurdle, with Nicholls stating that she performs better in a conditions race rather than a handicap (due to her often having to carry top weight).