Paul Nicholls Cheltenham Festival winner put up for auction as owner sells up

Paul Nicholls could lose Cheltenham Festival winner Stay Away Fay and a host of other promising horses after one of his biggest owners decided to sell up.

Chris Giles’s pink and purple silks have been synonymous with Nicholls former stars Zarkandar, two-time King George VI Chase winner Silviniaco Conti, Greaneteen plus current star Stay Away Fay.

Stay Away Fay has won four races, notably the 2023 Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham and has since won twice over fences.

He will be the star lot at a dispersal sale of nine Giles horses in training and a broodmare at the Goffs Summer Sale at Doncaster on July 22-23.

Giles has won over 20 Group and Grade 1 races and remains “hugely passionate about National Hunt racing but with a young family and increased work commitments both here and abroad, he has less time to devote to racing and his horses”, according to a Goffs press release.

“As a result, he will be taking a break from ownership and is offering a dispersal of his stock but hopes to return to racing in the future.”

Among the other lots are unbeaten bumper winner Regent’s Stroll, Rubaud, whose six wins include a Scottish Champion Hurdle and Elite Hurdle, and six other four and five-year-olds. Goffs UK managing director Tim Kent said: “We would like to thank Chris for entrusting us with this top-class draft of horses.

“This is a fascinating collection of young and proven National Hunt performers, headed by the Grade 1 winner Stay Away Fay and the hugely exciting Regent’s Stroll.

“I was at Newbury when he won the £100,000 Goffs Spring Sale Bumper, he showed he has an abundance of ability to match his good looks and he has a hugely exciting career in front of him over hurdles and fences.

“Grade 2 Scottish Champion Hurdle winner Rubaud is also a notable highlight in a draft which is sure to prove popular come the sale in July and the catalogue, for which entries are still open, will be available from 9 July.”