Olive Nicholls efficiently embarks on her personal coaching profession

Younger star Olive Nicholls scored a powerful double, in addition to her first win as a coach, at Hursely Hambledon point-to-point at Larkhill in Wiltshire final weekend (26 November).

Olive, 17, kicked off her day with a neat victory within the women’ open, using her champion coach father Paul Nicholls’, and John Bolton’s Viroflay, a horse she now trains herself, having beforehand been within the care of her mom Georgina Nicholls.

“My long-term goal is to coach horses below Guidelines, so to get my first winner as a coach is superb,” says Olive, who was the 2022 novice women’ jockey point-to-point champion.

The transfer to coaching has come about after Georgina, who beforehand educated Olive’s pointers, took out her licence to coach below Guidelines in the summertime.

“So the timing made sense and I now take care of the entire pre-trainers that are available, plus the pointers,” explains Olive, who is predicated at her mom’s yard in Oxfordshire.

“I’m very fortunate to have nice help round me. Mum continues to be an enormous a part of making the whole lot work, however it was nice to have her main me up on the weekend!” laughs Olive.

Viroflay, who’s a six-year-old by Air Chief Marshal, has made a powerful return to the monitor after recovering from a leg damage, and he exceeded expectations when successful on the weekend.

“I wasn’t positive he’d be fairly match sufficient,” says Olive. “He doesn’t do an excellent deal at dwelling and it’s exhausting to have them bang on the cash first trip. He’s not easy, and I believed he’d take some time to settle and chill into his racing. Final weekend was all about seeing the place we have been at, however he now marks my first runner and first winner as a coach.

“Viroflay may be very particular to me and my final dream for him this 12 months could be to take him to the Aintree Foxhunters,” explains Olive Nicholls, who’s second victory arrived within the situations (stage two) nine-year-old and up when Sam Loxton despatched her out on her father’s 13-year-old Shantou Flyer.

“We’ve got a very nice partnership and I’m very assured in him,” provides Olive. “However once more, he’s one I believed would wish a run earlier than successful. He’s 13 now and nonetheless loves it. From the second he arrived right here at this time, I knew he wasn’t going to be overwhelmed; he was like a three-year-old.”

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H&H options, racing and point-to-point editor

Gemma is an skilled journalist, having been a part of the H&H crew since 2014, who’s captivated with all equestrian sports activities, together with racing and point-to-pointing. She has loved using out for high trainers Nicky Henderson and Charlie Appleby and took half in a charity Flat race at in August 2018. Gemma’s reporting skills have taken her to quite a few five-star occasions round Britain and Europe, in addition to European championships.