Nicholls pays tribute as Big Buck's dies aged 23

Big Buck's: Paul Nicholls pays tribute as legendary stayer dies aged 23 Paul Nicholls has paid tribute to his "invincible" hurdler Big Buck's, who has passed away at the age of 23; The Ditcheat horse, owned by the late Andy Stewart, won four consecutive Stayers' Hurdle crowns from 2009 to 2012. Saturday 8 August 2026 15:12, UK Big Buck’s, one of the greatest staying hurdlers of all time, has died at the age of 23. Owned by the late Andy Stewart, he was part of a golden age for trainer Paul Nicholls as he counted Kauto Star, Denman, Master Minded and Neptune Collonges among his stablemates. Big Buck's had always been viewed by connections as a potential top-class chaser, however, a fall at the final fence in the 2008 Hennessy Gold Cup saw him revert back to hurdles and he never looked back. He won what is now the Stayers' Hurdle a record four times, the Liverpool Hurdle four times and three times he came home in front in the Long Walk Hurdle. Big Buck's, who struck up a great relationship with Ruby Walsh, was a fan favourite as he would often hit a flat spot in his races before powering to victory. Nicholls told the Press Association: "Ability-wise he was probably as good as anything I've ever trained, it's just a shame he couldn't jump a chase fence. "He was a wonderful horse for a wonderful owner who deserved to own a great horse like that. Andy enjoyed the whole journey and shared it with everybody. "The horse had a brilliant life and had a great time with us and then a great time with Mike and Lucy Felton in retirement, but sadly time caught up with him. "I was very lucky to have him at the same time as Kauto Star, Neptune Collonges, Master Minded and Denman. He was definitely as good as any of them." One of the last surviving members of that halcyon period for the Ditcheat handler, Big Buck's would go on to pass Sir Ken and win a then record 18 straight National Hunt races when reverting to hurdles, an achievement only eclipsed by Altior since. However, for Nicholls there will always be the question of how high he could have climbed if remaining over the larger obstacles. "He won the Graded race at Aintree over fences, jumped 18 fences and jumped them 18 different ways and still won," said Nicholls. "It made me think he was a certainty in the Hennessy and he was unlucky that day, but he just wasn't a natural jumper of a fence. "If Kauto Star hadn't been about at that time then we probably would persevered over fences and he had the ability to win a Gold Cup. If he had won the Hennessy that day it would have definitely given us a headache and it would have been interesting where he would have ended up. "But over hurdles he was invincible. Andy said I was bonkers, but going back over hurdles was the best thing we ever did. History tells you how good he was and Cheltenham, Aintree, Newbury, Ascot - if there was a big staying hurdle race, he won them all - all those Grade Ones on the trot, what a horse." Big Bucks would become a standing dish on Thursdays at the Cheltenham Festival, with his famous flat spot often sparking nervous gasps from supporters before hitting top gear and surging up the Cheltenham hill under Walsh. When asked to nominate just one race in Big Bucks' decorated career littered with so many great triumphs it was his fourth-straight success in the day three feature, when seeing off arguably the deepest field he met, edging out Irish raider Voler La Vedette, that Nicholls remembers most fondly. "His fourth World Hurdle was the one that sticks out as being very special," said Nicholls. "But we had so many great days with such a brilliant horse and we were all very lucky to be associated with him."