Tutti Quanti on The Race Lab

Tutti Quanti: Can Nicholls' Rapidly Improving Hurdler Gatecrash the Champion Hurdle?

Sat, 14 Feb 2026 15:00:00 +0000

Paul Nicholls doesn’t do things quietly. After Tutti Quanti demolished a strong field in the William Hill Hurdle at Newbury last Saturday, the 14-time champion trainer dropped a bombshell: the Champion Hurdle is under serious consideration.

“We’re going to really consider the Champion Hurdle if it keeps on raining and the ground is on the slow side,” Nicholls wrote in his Betfair blog this week. “The way he won last Saturday suggests he’s rapidly improving and when they’re improving you never know where their ceiling might be.”

Tutti Quanti's 12st Triumph: The Heaviest Weight Ever in the William Hill Hurdle

Mon, 09 Feb 2026 21:15:00 +0000

Harry Cobden barely had to move. Tutti Quanti simply galloped his rivals into submission at Newbury on Saturday, hitting the line fifteen lengths clear with theCommentary barely breaking stride. But it wasn’t just the margin that raised eyebrows—it was the weight he was lumping around.

Twelve stone. In a fiercely competitive two-mile handicap hurdle. First time ever.

According to SmartForm data, no horse in the modern history of the William Hill Hurdle (formerly the Betfair Hurdle) has won carrying 168lbs. The previous benchmark was 162lbs—a mark shared by five different winners including Glory And Fortune (2022), Iberico Lord (2024), and Paul Nicholls’ own Pic D’Orhy (2020).

Tutti Quanti's 15-Length Annihilation: A Champion Hurdle Supplementary Shock in the Making?

Mon, 09 Feb 2026 12:30:00 +0000

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.