Nicholls confirms that horses are on antibiotics but it is not a cause for concern
Paul Nicholls, reputable name in the world of horse racing confirmed that there is a bout of coughing going around in his yard. The champion trainer said that this is not a cause for concern as the runners are healthy otherwise.
He confirmed that a dozen horses in his care were on a course of anti-biotics. Bookmakers and punters were not convinced despite the assurances of the trainer. They have noticed that Nicholls’s runners are not doing as well as expected.
With the Cheltenham Festival just three weeks away, the market is shifting from Nicholls’s runners to other trainers.
The bookmakers are doubtful of the performance of Nicholls’s horses and they are giving preferenece to Willie Mullins and Nicky Henderson.
Mullins and Henderson are now being promoted ahead of Nicholls in the betting.
Several of the horses trained by Nicholls performed below expectations. He explained that the cause for the cough was not serious:
"Like lot of other stables, we've had the odd one coughing on and off since Christmas. Last week there were a couple more than usual who were affected. My suspicion is that they have picked it up on the course and brought it back to the yard.”He said that the cough was “no big deal”.
Sources report that Paul Nicholls is an expert and can take care of the matter. Nicholls is known to have satellite stables in which the horses can be placed in isolation.
If the infection has not spread to the other horses and can be controlled, then his horses will be good to race in no time.
Along with this, Nicholls will have access to the finest vets if the problem gets worse.
There is a strong possibility that Nicholls is already working on a solution and most of his horses will most likely be healthy and fit in time for the festival in Cheltenham.
Nicholls cancelled the schedule media day as having unnecessary bodies around can make the infection worse and it can easily spread.
The expert trainer is insistent that most of the horses remain completely unaffected and they will be able to compete in the upcoming event.
He said that news of the cough is making things worse and the problem is "a little bit blown out of proportion."
He states that the cough is normal and it usually happens at this time of the year. The horses do not have a serious medical condition and are in good health otherwise.
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