Paul Nicholls 2022/23 Preview: Immediate aim is to reach 3,500 career wins

We saved the best until last with five winners for Team Ditcheat on the final day of the season at Sandown in April.

It was a fabulous way to end a campaign that sealed my 13th trainers' title. Now we are ready to crack on again after a relatively quiet few months that yielded 21 winners from our small team of summer jumpers.

Chepstow's opener is always exciting

I always think that Chepstow's two day meeting in October - which takes place this weekend - signals the start of the core season.

Its a fixture I like to target but I'll be picking and choosing my runners carefully on Friday and Saturday as an exceptionally dry summer means that the ground is plenty quick enough around the country.

Chepstow have done a fine job of watering but conditions at the track are still firmer than ideal on the chase course, although it's good news that hurdles races will be run on the flat track where the going is slower.

My immediate aim is to train the nine winners I need to take my career total to 3,500 at home and abroad over jumps and on the flat.

Then it will be a case of kicking on in pursuit of another trainers' title. It is not my priority, and never has been, but if we are in a position to try for the championship again then obviously I will give it a go.

Two of our flagship chasers Politologue and Cyrname were retired in the spring and in the last few days we have also retired Topfthegame. Yala Enki has a few issues and we will make a decision on his future in the next couple of weeks. He is 13 so it is likely he will be retired.

Keeping close tabs on Clan

In addition, Clan Des Obeaux has been giving me a headache as he is on the sidelines at the moment with a bit of wear and tear on one of his suspensory tendons. While he will not be able to run this side of Christmas, there is a chance that he might run in the spring.

This time of year is always a bit tricky as problems occur once you start pressing a few buttons with the horses. With Topofthegame the red light is flashing quite strongly after a new issue surfaced so we have no option but to call it a day with him as a racehorse.

Youngsters offer plenty of hope

With five of our big guns retired or out of action we are not overloaded with stars this time. We don't have a Champion Hurdle horse or a Gold Cup contender unless Bravemansgame improves.

What we do have is lots of lovely young prospects that can win plenty of races.

That's what you need to win championships and I will be looking to some of them to make the breakthrough into the top flight.

Obviously we hope to get the best out of proven Graded campaigners like Bravemansgame, Hitman, Frodon, Threeunderthrufive and Pic D'Orhy.

They should all be running in the next month or so and we have a notably strong team of over 30 horses going chasing for the first time.

I can't wait to see youngsters like McFabulous, Monmiral, Gelino Bello, Samarrive, and Stage Star jumping fences in public. The hardest part will be finding races for all of them and keeping them apart.

We also have a highly promising group of novice hurdlers including Henri The Second, Timeforatune, Ivaldi, Tahmuras and Dancingontheedge. Henri the Second, like many of them, has been schooling over hurdles for two years so jumping is unlikely to be an issue for him.

Reaping rewards of long term planning

In addition we have a lovely squad of 40 horses eligible to run in bumper races in the coming months. That is the biggest number we have ever had at Ditcheat and include several new recruits that have already won a point-to-point.

It is all down to a production line I put in place four or five years ago by purchasing a group of well bred three-year-olds each summer. They start life at the Nicholls Academy by spending a year of pre training with record breaking point-to-point rider Will Biddick at his yard close to mine, learning the basics using our facilities.

It is a way of bringing them forward and preparing them for the future. Then they come to me in July as four year olds ready for the next stage.

They will not be helping me win the championship but they are undoubtedly our seed corn for the future and the system is working really well Graduates from this conveyor belt of young talent include McFabulous, Stage Star, Henry The Second and Enrilo.