Racing is a sport that often stays within a family for generations. There have been some famous examples over the years, just take a look at the Mullins, O’Brien and Walsh families for a few high-profile examples.
The racing gene appears to be firmly wedded in the Nicholls DNA too. As many of you will know, Paul Nicholls is a leading jumps trainer but his immediate family also share a deep love of the sport. His wife, Georgie, is also a trainer while his three daughters all have differing links to the sport. Zara is a showjumper, Megan is an ITV Racing presenter & pundit, and Olive is a budding young jockey.
Aged just 19, might Olive find herself regularly booked to ride her dad’s top horses in the future? Before we attempt to answer that, let us look at her journey so far and why she’s attracting such praise from her father and others.
An Early Start
Following four wins in 17 point-to-point starts, Olive was handed her first ride under rules. Aged just 16 at the time, she headed to Wincanton for her debut in 2022 to compete in an amateur jockeys handicap hurdle. The teenager was paired with Get The Appeal, trained by her father, who began the 10-horse contest as a 14/1 outsider. A fine display in the saddle saw the eight-year-old mare finish in third place, comfortably above expectation.
Wincanton Amateur Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle (22/3/22)
| Position | Horse | SP | Jockey | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | The Raven’s Return | 10/3 | Molly Landau | Chris Gordon |
| Second | Salley Gardens | 7/2 | James King | Olly Murphy |
| Third | Get The Appeal | 14/1 | Olive Nicholls | Paul Nicholls |
During the race Olive found herself competing against two jockeys she often faced while pony racing. One was Colin Tizzard’s grandson Freddie Gingell and the other was Guy Landau’s daughter Molly. Speaking about the race Paul Nicholls called it a ‘proud moment’ although he conceded that he did not think his daughter had any aspirations of being a professional jockey. Instead, he said that she seems to be more interested in being a trainer in the future.
Wins for Mum and Dad
Nearly three years later, Olive was being praised by her dad for securing him a victory, as well as one for his wife. Olive first struck gold for her mum on the saddle of Thank You Ma’am at a race in Ascot in December before riding Him Malaya to victory for her dad at Taunton the following month. After the second victory, Paul told the press that “She’s riding well, she’s coming along nicely”. He also expressed pride that his daughter managed to beat one of his own runners during the December event at Ascot.
A first Ascot winner for Georgina and Olive Nicholls as Thank You Ma’am wins for the first time in 11 starts over hurdles pic.twitter.com/1eMVhheCYf
— Liam Headd (@LiamHeaddRP) December 21, 2024
In the Class 4 novices handicap hurdle, Paul booked Harry Cobden to ride joint second favourite Just Lucky Sivola. Georgina Nicholls meanwhile recruited the services of her daughter to ride narrow race favourite Thank You Ma’am. Despite the competitiveness of the betting, Thank You Ma’am made light work of the competition, making all on his way to a seven-and-a-half length victory. Paul’s runner wound up in third but seeing it lose to a horse trained by his wife and expertly ridden by his daughter must be the ultimate consolation.
Jockey or Trainer?
Although Olive has been getting a fair number of rides as an amateur jockey (79 at the time of writing), being a trainer still appears to be her main goal, as her father suspected back in 2022. After her win at Ascot in December 2024, Olive, when discussing racing said, “I love the training side of it” while Paul added that her “ambition is to train, so that could be very interesting”. So, as things stand, we would only expect Olive to continue as an amateur jockey and use the spare time to shadow her father, rather than focus on turning professional.
Some continued success on the saddle might perhaps persuade her to change her mind though especially as there is no great rush to get into the training game. She clearly has some talent as a jockey too. At the time of writing, she enjoys a solid 17% strike rate across GB jump races, although this represents a £1 stake loss of -£21.84. She has also dabbled in a few flat races, seven to be precise, but given her dad specialises in jump events, it is hard to see her ever properly switching disciplines.
Whatever the future holds for Olive Nicholls, do not be surprised to see her name mentioned in the press in future, whether as a jockey or a trainer. Having a 14-time British jump racing Champion Trainer as your dad opens the door to a lot of opportunities.