How Sir Alex Ferguson helped Paul Nicholls with one of his toughest decisions | Horse racing news

Paul Nicholls says his decision to replace Sam Twiston-Davies with Harry Cobden as stable jockey was one of the toughest he’s faced in his career – and he even turned to the legendary trainer football manager Sir Alex Ferguson for advice.

Nicholls spoke to the Racing Post for a major Sunday newspaper interview in which he reflects on fatherhood, his love of Christmas racing and the ‘craziness’ of the new whipping rules, as well as awaiting his candidacy for a 13th King George, in which Cobden is about to ride the favorite Bravemans game with Twiston-Davies on his stablemate Hitman.

The riding plans echo those of 2019, when Twiston-Davies won the King George on the second string of the Clan Des Obeaux yard ahead of Cobden on Cyrname, and Nicholls is delighted to be able to continue to call on Twiston-Davies despite the Cobden’s move into the number one spot four years ago.

“When I pushed Sam aside to put Harry to work, I could see that if I let Harry go he would go to the Tizzards or somewhere else and that would be the end of it,” he explained. “I had to make a decision and sometimes decisions are quite difficult.

“I either had to keep Sam or keep Harry – you couldn’t keep both. I went with Harry and it’s probably one of the best decisions I’ve made and it doesn’t undermine Sam at all. C He’s a lovely lad, a brilliant jockey, has ridden us a lot of winners and I always will. But back then I had to do something. Sometimes you have to make tough decisions and if I hadn’t made this difficult decision, I would not be where I am now with Harry.”

Nicholls was also fortunate to be able to call on former Manchester United boss Ferguson, a yard owner with Hitman and Clan Des Obeaux, for advice.

“I spoke to Alex [Ferguson] at that time and asked, ‘What am I doing?’ He said, ‘Just go with what’s right.’

“Alex always told me, ‘Never be afraid of tough decisions’, and that was always good advice. Harry was always going to be a great jockey and, much like Ruby [Walsh], we don’t have too many crossword puzzles. It’s a matter of trust and I’m delighted with what he’s done.”

Read more about Paul Nicholls in The Big Read, available in the Sunday newspaper or online to Member’s Club Ultimate subscribers from 6 p.m. Saturday. Click on here register.

Read this next:

‘He deserves to be favourite’ – King George hopes Nicholls likes Bravemansgame

Stay ahead with 50% off ultimate racing subscription. Enjoy the Racing Post digital newspaper and award-winning journalism from top racing writers. Plus, make informed betting decisions with our expert advice and form study tools. Head to the subscription page and select “Get Ultimate Monthly”, then enter the code WELCOME2022 to get 50% off your first three months.

The first three payments will be billed to £19.98the subscription renews at the full monthly price thereafter.

Customers wishing to cancel should contact us at least seven days prior to their subscription renewal.

FIRST PUBLICATION AT 4:00 PM, DECEMBER 16, 2022