Paul Nicholls was left with another huge blow to his yard on Tuesday when it was announced that Johnny de la Hey would be removing all of his horses from the yard and the powerful owner has spoken out.
Johnny de la Hey Thanks Paul Nicholls After Removing Horses From Ditcheat
After it was announced on Tuesday that Johnny de la Hey would be removing 11 horses from Paul Nicholls’ yard, the powerful owner released a statement.
“Samantha and I would like to thank Paul, who has done a fantastic job training for us for the last 17 years.
“However, after a lot of thought, we have decided to make a change to our jump racing strategy by having our horses with several trainers. We wish Paul well and are looking forward to the new season.”
The 11 horses the De la Heys are removing from Ditcheat include three-time Grade 1 winner Pic d’Orhy – who will now be trained by 2025/26 Champion Trainer Dan Skelton.
WATCH: Pic d’Orhy Wins 2025 Ascot Chase
Skelton will be inheriting seven horses from the Nicholls stable, with the remaining four split up between Chris Gordon and Jamie Snowden.
Over the years, the De la Heys had 652 runners in Britain under the guidance of Nicholls, yielding 123 winners – a decent 19% strike-rate.
Nicholls spoke to The Sun on Tuesday, giving his thoughts on the situation:
“It’s disappointing after all the success we have had together. We have a great team here and a lovely team of young horses to look forward to. I wish Johnny all the best.”
Other prominent owners Gordon and Su Hall also removed horses from Nicholls. At the start of last season, Old Park Star was switched to Nicky Henderson’s yard, eventually winning the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham.
Johnny de la Hey Horses Moved Out Of Paul Nicholls’ Yard
Below is just some of the horses removed from the Paul Nicholls yard. There is more, but have not yet been fully revealed.
- Pic d’Orhy
- Blueking d’Oroux
- Matterhorn
- Captain Teague
- Welcom To Cartries
- Golden Son
- Captain Bellamy
- Talk To The Man
- Sauvignon
De La Hey Horses Removed Are Not The Only Changes At Ditcheat
From next season, Nicholls will no longer have Harry Cobden as his stable jockey.
The former Champion Jockey will be taking up a new role as number one rider for billionaire owner JP McManus.
Nicholls had 94 winners in the 2025/26 season, winning £2,161,446 in prize money.
