Retired Dandy Nicholls hailed as a 'genius'

Retiring trainer Dandy Nicholls has been labelled a "genius" by his son and former stable jockey, Adrian.

Having trained out of Tall Trees Stables, near Thirsk, since 1992, Nicholls, nicknamed the 'Sprint King', cited financial pressures as the reason for calling it a day.

The 60-year-old, who also claimed over 400 races in the saddle, won big races in Europe like the Nunthorpe Stakes, the July Cup, the Prix de l'Abbaye and the Haydock Sprint Cup in an illustrious career.

He was also an expert in big-field handicaps and won the Ayr Gold Cup six times, including three renewals on the bounce between 2000-02.

Nicholls jnr told Press Association Sport: "We had some great days together.

"I rode for 19 years and basically that is all down to him as he gave my career a massive kick-start.

"For me, the highlight was Bahamian Pirate winning him a first Ayr Gold Cup. He started off rated 59, won at Ayr the following year and ended up winning a Nunthorpe.

"That horse really helped get me going but he'd had lots of success before that, but what he did with that horse was phenomenal."

Nicholls' fortunes had been dwindling since his best ever season in 2011 which saw him train 93 domestic winners.

Last season he only managed 24 winners but still enjoyed big-race victories with Orion's Bow and Kimberella.

"I think he could see potential in horses that others couldn't, certainly me," said Adrian Nicholls.

"I rode Regal Parade one day over a mile at Southwell and he'd come from Mark Johnston.

"I wasn't very complimentary about him but he said to give him a chance. He ended up winning two Group Ones.

"He could still do it, too, look at Orion's Bow and Kimberella last season.

"Other trainers have done it before and new ones will do, too, but I rode for lots of trainers and he simply got his horses in the best condition.

"It sounds corny, but they were just happy horses."

Nicholls fittingly bowed out with a winner when his last runner, Sovereign Debt, secured a big prize in Qatar on February 24.

His son added: "It's sad it has to end like this and if it wasn't for him my career would have been very different.

"We used to turn up in Ireland with the likes of Tax Free and Inxile and win Listed and Group races for fun, it was like shelling peas.

"Dad didn't go looking for sprinters but after he'd had success with them a lot of people started sending them to us, a bit like Robert Cowell now, but we also had success with two-year-olds like Strike Up The Band and Mister Manannan.

"One horse who'd sum him up was Funfair Wane. He was a nutcase yet he managed to win two Ayr Gold Cups. He wasn't an easy horse to train and it was probably why they got on so well!

"To train a one-two in the July Cup, though, like when Continent beat Bahamian Pirate in 2002, takes an awful lot of doing.

"He was simply a genius. He wasn't only my dad but a great boss, too.

"It was a nice way for him to finish the other day with Sovereign Debt winning in Qatar. We shouldn't have been surprised, he's been a winner all his life."

Weighing room veteran Franny Norton will always be indebted to Nicholls for his support, in both good times and bad.

"Dandy has always been there for me as a father figure," said the jockey.

"I was struggling at one time, really struggling, and Dandy pulled me to one side and let me ride all his horses. He really picked up my career for me and hopefully one day he may be back.

"It's sad because I've been alongside him a long time and go back to riding with him. He's one of the old-school troupers.

"One thing you don't have to talk about is how good Dandy has been with sprinters. He got labelled 'Sprint King' for a reason.

"He'd go anywhere and he mopped up the domestic scene with his sprinters as well.

"I'm sad to see him go because he's always been by my side, especially in the dark days. He was always good to me."