Nicholls acts over coughing

[Win2Win Racing]

Champion trainer Paul Nicholls has cancelled a scheduled media visit to his yard on Wednesday with several of his horses coughing.

He was unhappy with the performance of some of his string over the weekend, and said it would be the wrong time to invite the press.

"It is fairly obvious that we had a moderate weekend. We have several horses coughing and my first priority is to the owners in my yard," said Nicholls.

"It is my duty to leave no stone unturned now as we prepare for the last three weeks before the (Cheltenham) Festival and in these circumstances, we do not feel it is appropriate to invite the media on Wednesday.

"I am very sorry for any inconvenience this causes, but I hope all concerned will understand that my horses and owners must come first."

Kauto Star is believed to be unaffected by any coughing at the moment ahead of his bid to win the Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup for a third time.

Owner Clive Smith said: "I talked to Paul on Sunday night and everything is fine with Kauto Star as far as we know. Paul's got an outbreak and one or two of his horses have got it, but hopefully it won't affect Kauto Star.

"We won't know until it either comes out or if he doesn't get it. I hope he doesn't get it as it might interrupt his programme. The Gold Cup is not far away now - it's three weeks on Friday."

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[vegyjones]

His horses must be bloody clever. Sounds like they are in training to go on Who Wants to be a Millionaire.

[Win2Win]

They'd be more intelligent than the contestants they get on Deal or No Deal :lickme

[barneymather]

Coughing, eh. For some odd reason I'm reminded of the ear-bending, bone-shaking, eye-congealing, grass-melting, and quite monumentally thunderous fart which Devon Loch was said to have unleashed way back in Dick Francis's heyday when my grandad was a lad. No wonder Dick decided it was safer facing the wrath of book critics than a horse's butt bubbling over with anger. I don't think his nose hairs ever grew back after that, nor indeed did he regain his sense of smell.

What's Devon Loch's rumoured rectal earthquake got to do with owt, some nitpicking types will ask. Well, a plethora of scorched jockey's caps (not to mention faces) and the roof being torn off the stand puts a bit of coughing in perspective. :ass2 :yikes:

But there were anti-royalists even then, and although I was never her biggest fan, I think it was absolutely disgraceful that some punters tried to blame Devon Loch's rear-end explosion on the Queen Mother. I'm sure she'd have coughed to try and conceal her regal trumps.

[Win2Win]

I've got a bloody cold now... I hope the wife-2-b doesn't put me out in the stable we don't have :doh