David Nicholson: David Nicholson, who has died of a heart attack at the age of 67, was one of horseracing's great characters. Frank and forthright, "the Duke", as he was universally known, was a successful National Hunt jockey and an even better trainer, being twice champion in that field during a 31-year career.
Born in Epsom, he was bred for the racing game. His father, Herbert "Frenchie" Nicholson, had been champion jockey and rider of the brilliant Golden Miller; his mother, Diana, was a trainer's daughter and the great-granddaughter of three times Grand National-winning trainer William Holman.
Nicholson briefly attended Haileybury college, but his main education was under the tutelage of his father, later famous as a brilliant teacher of flat jockeys, notably 11 times champion Pat Eddery and three times Derby winner Walter Swinburn.
Nicholson's allergic reaction to horses and the dust involved in their husbandry deterred him from undertaking the more menial tasks in the yard: this reluctance, coupled with his rather aloof demeanour, led fellow stable lads and apprentices to come up with his lordly nickname. His allergy and asthma were to prove a lifelong affliction, ultimately contributing to his premature death.
David Nicholson started to ride on the flat from the age of 12, but his near-6ft stature curtailed his career on the level, and he switched to jumping. He was successful on his first ride over jumps at Chepstow in 1955 on Fairval, trained by his father, when he was just 16. In all, he rode 583 winners as a jump jockey, his most notable victory being on Mill House in the 1967 Whitbread Gold Cup. He won the Welsh Grand National for three consecutive years (1959-61), on Limonali (twice) and Clover Bud; the 1960 Imperial Cup on Farmer's Boy; and the 1965 Schweppes Gold Trophy on Elan. He had four Cheltenham Festival winners, including the 1971 Champion Chase on Tantalum and the 1973 Gloucester Hurdle on King Pele, trained by his lifelong friend Gavin Pritchard-Gordon.
In 1961 Nicholson bought Cotswold House in Condicote, near Stow-on-the-Wold, a stone's throw from Cheltenham, and a year later married lawnmower heiress Dinah Pugh. He took out his trainer's licence in 1968 but continued to ride until 1974, when he suddenly announced that he was giving up after winning on What a Buck at Hereford for his most loyal patron, Lord Vestey.
Nicholson's early training career was patchy, but there were some highlights, as when What a Buck featured again, winning the 1975 SGB Chase at Ascot. However, Nicholson was buying a lot of slow maturing chasing horses that needed time (rather than those off the flat that can provide a quicker return over hurdles). The facilities at Condicote were then less than adequate for attaining the true fitness required, so in the early 1980s Nicholson, with the help of some of his owners, put in a new mile gallop and changed tack in the type of animal he was acquiring. This step also coincided with the arrival of Peter Scudamore, who joined him as an amateur rider and went on to become eight times champion jockey.
Then came an upturn in Nicholson's fortunes: the Marquis of Northampton's Broadsword was second in the 1981 Triumph Hurdle and runner-up in the Champion Hurdle the following year. Though Cheltenham was on his doorstep, Nicholson did not have a winner at the festival until Scudamore and Solar Cloud won the Triumph Hurdle in 1986. Indeed, that day saw a memorable double for trainer and jockey, completed with Charter Party in the National Hunt Handicap Chase. Having broken the ice, Nicholson went on to train many more Cheltenham Festival winners, including the Gold Cup with Charter Party in 1988. He won another Triumph Hurdle with Mysilv in 1994, the Arkle Challenge Trophy in 1989 with Waterloo Boy, the Queen Mother Chase with Viking Flagship in 1994 and 1995 and, finally, the Stayers' Hurdle in 1999 with Anzum.
Despite his success - and help from a loyal band of friends - Nicholson walked a financial tightrope during the 1980s. By 1990 one of the partners in his Gold Cup winner Charter Party, property developer Colin Smith, had built, with Nicholson's help, a state of the art training establishment, Jackdaws Castle, at nearby Ford.
Nicholson sold his Condicote property, accepted a salaried position and enjoyed his most fruitful spell as a trainer until he retired in 1999, with 1,499 winners. He was champion trainer in 1993-94 and 1994-95 and the only man, until this year, to relieve Martin Pipe of his stranglehold on the title.
Nicholson was a vociferous leader when he captained the National Hunt jockeys' cricket team. As a bowler, he considered himself quick and modelled his style on Fred Trueman. Many people in the sport are grateful for his tuition. Jockeys such as Richard Dunwoody and Adrian Maguire thrived under his direction, as did Richard Johnson and Robert Thornton. Clifford Baker, head lad to current champion National Hunt trainer Paul Nicholls, was with Nicholson for 20 years; Malcolm Wallace, the Horse Racing Authority's director of regulation, rode out in preparation for the Grand Military races at Sandown Park racecourse; Nicholson groomed the Princess Royal for riding success under National Hunt rules; and numerous trainers, including his long-time assistant Alan King, have benefited from spells under his tutelage.
Nicholson was firm, positive and loved issuing instructions in harsh one-liners, often backed up with an index finger on the chest: "Go steady", "Keep your whip down", "Be positive", "Where's your tie?", "You need a haircut", etc. At the races he was famous for his trilby hat, furry sheepskin coat, red socks and large brandy. He worked hard and played hard, and was one of the last of the old school of National Hunt trainers.
He is survived by his wife, Dinah, and their sons, Philip and John.
David Nicholson, jockey and trainer, born March 19th, 1939; died August 27th, 2006