Number 13 is unlucky for some but not if you’re Paul Nicholls.
In 2009 his stable was enriched with National Hunt greatness on the eve of the Cheltenham Festival.
As the swarming press gathered four-deep to look at the horses the trainer would send to Prestbury Park, the stars of the Gold Cup rematch played different roles.
Kauto Star, the effortless, sleek galloper, wanted everyone’s eyes on him.
Next door, Denman stood facing the opposite direction, giving visitors a rear view his rivals had become accustomed to seeing.
In the company of chasing titans in the front row seats was an even more eccentric character.
Notorious box walker, Big Buck’s, had his devoted groom, the late Rose Loxton, for company on open days.
At a time when his stablemates reigned supreme over fences, Nicholls’ masterstroke was to return him to hurdles.
The quirky equine fellow became a genius at the game – and won a record 18 races in a row.
His final and fourth straight Stayers’ Hurdle victory, a decade ago in 2012, put him top in the race’s all-time list.
This year the Nicholls Festival string is down to around that number 13 again, but nothing will limit his search for another star. Bravemansgame is already a home straight ahead of Big Buck’s from his novice chasing days.
“I think Big Buck’s was every bit as good as Kauto, but never jumped fences well,” Nicholls said.
“I remember when he arrived from France and we started schooling him here. He was dire.
“But hurdles he could cope with and he became brilliant for us.”
Nicholls abandoned his Gold Cup plan for the shiny-coated enigma after his race-ending blunder at the conclusion of the 2008 Hennessy.
The verdict from owner Andy Stewart? “Going bonkers” was the trainer.
In four months, Nicholls convinced the “lunatic” thoroughbred to channel his energy into his first Cheltenham Festival triumph.
For Stewart, a great loss to racing when he died last September, he became the people’s horse – and Big Buck’s loved the limelight anywhere else but Ditcheat.
“Andy always thought he shared him with everybody,” Nicholls said.
“To win the Stayers four times for us all was incredible. Big Buck’s was a freak, a one-off.
“When he came here he was supposed to have a goat with him, we left it behind and he started walking his box. He did it so much he wore the concrete out, so we put rubber on the floor to protect him. If his mate either side went out and you left him in there, you’d hear him shouting in the next village. On the track he was asleep until he came out and raced – then he was away.”
As quick as his domination began, Big Buck’s retired, bowing out at the loss of his Stayers’ crown in 2014.
Every year since, a different horse has won the race, underlining the greatness of Big Buck’s, who won £1.3million.
“It took us seven years to win at the Festival, then Big Buck’s came along,” said Andy Stewart’s son, Paul.
“We were so lucky. His wins still put hairs on the back of your neck.”
Now blooming in retirement, the Cheltenham legend can be found in all his glory in a south west county.
He may be 19, but the “hedgehog crossing” sign near the stables where he is cared for is no clue to how he approaches life these days.
After a gentle pick of grass, he is keen to pull his keeper Lucy Felton on to a section of neatly manicured lawn.
“We call him ‘Bert’ – and he does what he wants,” she chuckles fondly.
“He’s loved and has a very happy retirement. Long may it last.
“He’s very easy, my twin boys ride their ponies out alongside us. He’s a nice ride but still loves his people – and likes the attention when we take him back to the racecourse.”
A little more relaxed in his stable now, Big Buck’s still amazes the family with his fitness after a winter off. “He hacks and we go trail hunting,” Lucy says.
“He can be on holiday for three or four months, you can bring him back to walk and trot for a little bit. Then going round in a canter and he won’t even blow a candle out after. He’s a phenomenon, he must have a huge heart and lungs.”
Grooms Primrose Jeans and Eve Mitchell adore Big Buck’s – and have his coat glowing like the day he walked into Ditcheat.
A year from now, those shampoo and brushes may set him up for a very important date in the calendar.
“If we get to his 20th year and he’s in good fettle it would be nice to ride him at Cheltenham before the Stayers’ Hurdle,” said Lucy.
