Champion trainer Paul Nicholls rescues horses ‘literally floating’ in flash flood at yard

CHAMPION trainer Paul Nicholls has been forced to evacuate horses left ‘literally floating’ amid a flash flood at his Ditcheat yard.

A photo posted online showed a worker carefully guiding one of the thoroughbreds through a river of water that had made its way into his famed stables.

Yard workers had to move quickly at 11pm to move the thoroughbreds to safety after a massive downpour

Champion trainer Nicholls’ yard was flooded during Storm Henk

The water was said to be receding now but it was yet another example of how Storm Henk has caused chaos in racing.

Sandown was forced to cancel its big card tomorrow after the Surrey track suffered an absolute deluge on Thursday night.

While Chepstow scrapped its meeting for Sunday earlier in the week after being hit with more than 140mm of rain.

Videos from Ditcheat showed some of Nicholls’ stable stars waiting patiently in their boxes as the water lapped at their doors.

Several staff were involved in making sure the horses were taken to safety late last night.

Fortunately the flood did not appear to be in the main courtyard where the likes of Gold Cup hope Bravemansgame lives.

Nicholls’ assistant Charlie Davies wrote online: “Not what I had planned at 11pm last night but thankfully all the horses are good this morning.”

The 14-time champion trainer added: “The river nearby burst its banks, with water backing up everywhere.

“One of the yards we’ve got just started to flood.

“We had to move half a dozen horses out. They were literally floating around in their boxes.

“But that’s the first time it’s happened in 15 years and we were prepared for it.”

More to follow.