Friday afternoon saw the much-anticipated seasonal reappearance of one of the most talked about horses over the summer months. Hitting the headlines due to his exploits at auction in July, the Paul Nicholls-trained Regent’s Stroll made his hurdles debut at Newbury.
Given his phenomenal record over the years, any novice from Paul Nicholls’ Ditcheat operation tends to attract more attention than your average first-season hurdler. However, not all runners boast such an attractive pedigree as Regent’s Stroll or fetched such a pretty penny at the sales.
Escalating Price as Talent Becomes Clear
As a son of Walk In The Park, Regent’s Stroll is sired by one of the most revered National Hunt sires. Counting Douvan, Jonbon, Min, Inothewayurthinkin and many other talented sorts amongst his offspring, Walk In The Park is unsurprisingly one of the go-to stallions for those looking to breed a potential star. Dam Pretty Puttens was unraced at the track but had already produced three winners, headed by Regent’s Stroll’s full brother Are You Wise To That.
With the above in mind, Regent’s Stroll attracted plenty of interest when initially sold for €40,000 at the Goffs December Sale in 2019. Showing signs of developing into a fine physical specimen, this price rose to £175,000 at the Goffs UK Spring sale in May 2022 – a fourfold increase, despite the horse never having set foot on a racecourse.
As promising as a horse looks on paper, and in their homework, they still need to show they can perform where it matters most. Regent’s Stroll passed his first test with flying colours when scooting clear to claim a Bumper at Ascot in November 2023. Next time out in a valuable event at Newbury, he was even more impressive, powering home to score by 5l from his 19 rivals. It was clear that trainer Paul Nicholls had a serious talent on his hands.
Regent’s Stroll (WALK IN THE PARK) wins the £100,000 @GoffsUK Spring Sale Bumper by 5 lengths for @PFNicholls and Chris Giles.
Bred by Mrs Rita Kent #CoolmoreNHSires #HomeOfChampions— Coolmore (@coolmorestud) March 23, 2024
No sooner had Regent’s Stroll shown his worth than Nicholls faced the prospect of losing his emerging star. Former owner Chris Giles dropped a bombshell in June 2024 when announcing he would sell nine of his horses, including Regent’s Stroll.
To keep Regent’s Stroll in the yard, Nicholls would have to purchase the horse himself – which is just what he managed to do, with the support of several existing owners, including Sir Alex Ferguson. The price paid this time was a hefty £660,000, setting a new world record for a National Hunt horse-in-training.
First Hurdle Safely Negotiated
Given the excitement of his Bumper campaign and the following sales drama, connections no doubt headed to Newbury with a mixture of excitement and nerves as Regent’s Stroll made his hurdles debut last Friday.
Lining up in the Class 3 Play Coral “Racing-Super-Series” For Free “National Hunt” Maiden Hurdle, Regent’s Stroll was the overwhelming choice of the market at odds of just 4/11. The mount of Harry Cobden gave odds-on backers a fright when blundering at the second last but was soon back on the bridle and galloping away for an easy 9½l success.
But Stiffer Tests Await
The odd error can be expected for any horse experiencing hurdles for the first time in public, but otherwise, Regent’s Stroll did everything that could be hoped for on his debut over obstacles. Now a perfect three from three under rules, he has earned a significant step up in class for his next assignment.
That outing seems likely to come in the Grade 1 Challow Novices’ Hurdle back at Newbury in December. With six previous wins, Nicholls is already the leading trainer in the history of the race and may have the right horse to make it win number seven in 2025.
Looking even further ahead, the Turners Novices’ Hurdle is viewed as the most likely target at the Cheltenham Festival. Regent’s Stroll is now available to back at 20/1 for the Day 2 opener. However, Nicholls seemed keen to stress that the horse isn’t short of speed following his Newbury win, which suggests a shot at the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle may be an option.
