The Queen dropped in to say hello as she was officially opening the Queen Elizabeth Music School in Bruton. Before that opening, she started the day at Ditcheat, spending the morning with Nicholls and his family, along with the rest of the stable team, including assistant trainer, Harry Derham.
“She came in and met Mr and Mrs Barber and was also introduced to Paul and his family. She met six horses including Frodon, Clan Des Obeaux and Cyrname,” Derham said.
The British Horse Racing Association (BHA) also gave a presentation to the Queen. Dr Jerry Hill, chief medical advisor at the BHA, led that presentation, which focused on the research into fall rates and spinal injuries in the sport that the team are conducting. That project is being run in conjunction with three universities, with the goal of improving rider safety in the sport.
Nicholls is one of the sports most successful trainers in modern years. He is ten times National Hunt Champion Trainer, and has 45 wins at Cheltenham, including four Cheltenham Gold Cup winners.
Frodon is one of Nicholl’s best known horses. In 26 runs, Frodon has twelves first place finishes, three seconds, and four third places finishes, with a win rate of 46.15%.
