Paul Nicholls knows a thing or two about extracting championship performances from handicap stars. Saturday’s demolition job at Newbury suggested he might have another on his hands.
Tutti Quanti didn’t just win the William Hill Hurdle — he brutalised the opposition. Fifteen lengths clear carrying 12 stone on heavy ground, the French-bred seven-year-old became the first horse to lift this prize under such a crushing burden. The record books didn’t stand a chance.
The 12st Question
Weight-carrying feats in major handicap hurdles rarely translate to Grade 1 glory. The SmartForm database shows just how unusual this performance was.
In the last decade, only three horses have won the William Hill Hurdle carrying 11st 8lb or more. Get Me Out Of Here managed 11st 8lb in 2012 — and won by a length and a half. Joyeuse took last year’s renewal with 10st 7lb on her back, an eight-length cruise that looked impressive until you saw what Tutti Quanti did to the same race carrying a stone more.
The margins tell their own story. Joyeuse beat her field by eight lengths. Tutti Quanti beat his by fifteen — nearly double the winning distance, with an extra fourteen pounds on his back.
The Supplementary Gamble
Nicholls and owner Colm Donlon are considering a Champion Hurdle supplementary entry. The £20,000 question is whether a horse rated 138 can bridge the gap to Constitution Hill’s successor.
Recent history offers limited guidance. Joyeuse, after her 2025 William Hill win, dropped back to the Mares’ Hurdle at Cheltenham and finished sixth, beaten half a length. She was never seriously considered for the championship race.
Before that, you’d have to scroll back to 2012 to find another William Hill winner who even ran at the Festival. These horses typically target the County Hurdle or Pertemps Final — lucrative consolation prizes rather than championship glory.
What the Numbers Say
Paul Nicholls has had 174 runners in Grade 1 and 2 hurdles at the Cheltenham Festival over the last decade. He’s won 12 — a 7% strike rate — with 44 making the frame (25%).
Those aren’t dominant numbers, but they’re competitive. And Nicholls has a particular gift for improving handicap hurdlers. Langer Dan — to whom Donlon paid tribute after Saturday’s win — progressed from similar roots to Festival glory.
The key variable is ground. Nicholls was explicit: “If the ground was testing we might look at it. If the ground was good we wouldn’t.” Tutti Quanti’s form reads like a love letter to mud. His four wins have come on soft or heavy. His only poor run — sixth of nine at Chepstow in October — came on good-to-firm.
The Form Thread
Tutti Quanti’s progression curve offers genuine encouragement. He opened his account at Ffos Las last April off a mark of 125. By Newbury on Saturday, he’d risen to 138 — thirteen pounds higher — and won with even more authority.
The Cheltenham form from last March hints at untapped potential. Sixth in the Supreme Novices’ at 126-1, he shaped like a horse who needed time and softer ground. He’s had both since. That race was run on good-to-soft — conditions he clearly resents.
Harry Cobden’s ride on Saturday demonstrated why he’s become Nicholls’ first-choice pilot. Positive from the gate, he set a strong gallop on ground that would have found out a less genuine sort. The field couldn’t live with the tempo. When Cobden asked for more after the final flight, Tutti Quanti found plenty.
The Verdict
A Champion Hurdle bid remains a long shot. The supplementary entry option exists precisely because Nicholls and Donlon aren’t certain — the deadline falls five or six days before the race, when ground conditions will be clearer.
But the data supports at least considering it. No horse has won this particular trial under such a punitive weight and done so with such contempt for the opposition. The 15-length margin isn’t just a number — it’s a statement of superiority that demands attention.
If the heavens open over Prestbury Park in March, don’t be surprised to see Tutti Quanti taking his chance. Horses capable of giving lumps of weight to solid handicappers and winning by street margins don’t come around often. Nicholls, more than most, knows how to convert that raw ability onto the biggest stage.
Whether he starts in the Champion Hurdle, the County Hurdle, or somewhere else entirely, one thing is certain: Tutti Quanti will be one of the most fascinating stories of the Festival build-up.
Data sourced from SmartForm. Tutti Quanti’s next engagement will likely depend on the weather forecast for mid-March.