Minella Yoga

His story began at Fairyhouse in November 2025, and from there things moved quickly. Trainer Paul Nicholls — whose yard in Ditcheat, Somerset has sent out 92 winners already this season, making it one of the most productive operations in Britain — was clearly excited early on. After a win at Newbury, Nicholls described Minella Yoga as "one of the best youngsters I have", which from a trainer of his standing is not a phrase thrown around lightly. He mentioned the Triumph Hurdle, one of the most prestigious young horses' races at the Cheltenham Festival, and said he could "see him galloping up that Cheltenham hill." He did go to Cheltenham, ran well but showed a touch of greenness — perfectly normal for a young horse at the sport's biggest stage — and Nicholls took the sensible view that stepping back to a different type of race suited him better at this point in his development.

What makes the profile richer is where he came from. His owner John Nallen revealed that Minella Yoga was bought as a yearling but was simply too big and too scopey for flat racing — the kind of physical powerhouse that needs jumping to really express himself. Nallen noted that he worked at home alongside Minella Study, a horse who went on to win a Listed race at Wetherby, which gives a useful sense of the company Minella Yoga has been keeping on the gallops. His most recent win came at Taunton just two weeks ago in April 2026, and with a race logged just yesterday, this is clearly a horse being kept very busy by a yard that believes they have something special on their hands.