Paul Nicholls can rely on the support of Jared Sullivan again after the owner made the decision to have all of his horse trained in the UK.
Nicholls had previously masterminded the careers of Silviniaco Conti and Zarkandar for Sullivan and the Ditcheat handler has now received the 12 horses that were formerly trained by Willie Mullins.
That number includes Grade 1 heroine Laurina and Duc Des Genievres, the winner of the Arkle at the Cheltenham Festival in 2019 by an astonishing 13 lengths.
Nicholls, speaking in his Betfair blog, said: “We have as strong a team of horses as we’ve ever had. The two main yards are full and all our biggest stars from last season are back. I’m thrilled to welcome back Jared Sullivan, who has sent us a cross-section of a dozen horses.
“I have trained loads of top winners for Jared in the past such as Zarkandar, Sanctuaire and Silviniaco Conti and it is great to have his support now he has decided to have his horses trained in the UK.
“His team includes the top-class Laurina, who recently had a wind op, Reel Steel, who ran so well in the Gold Cup, Stormy Island, a really good filly, Dolcita who was second in the mares’ race at the Festival this year, Eglantine Du Seuil, who won it the previous year, and the 2019 Arkle winner Duc Des Genievres.
“Jared has also sent us some really interesting maiden hurdlers, while another new arrival from Ireland is Malcom Denmark’s Next Destination, a talented horse who has had one or two issues and will be going novice chasing if all goes well.”
