Award Winning Megan Nicholls Living Up to Her Famous Name
Riding winners is in Megan Nicholls’ blood and she proved it again when scoring the Jockey of the Month prize despite being nominated alongside some greats of the modern game.
Daughter of champion jumps trainer Paul Nicholls, Megan made the surprise decision to switch to riding on the flat early in her career and she hasn’t looked back since.The Silk Series queen – winner two years on the bounce – went into September with confidence and she came out of it with yet another prize to add to an already impressive trophy cabinet.
Despite telling members of the racing press it was a pleasant surprise just to be nominated, the young pilot ended a thoroughly deserving victor.
Source: Great British Racing via Twitter
There will certainly be no back-slapping or relaxing to admire her achievements, that’s for sure, and horse racing enthusiasts got a feel for Nicholls’ steely determination to keep improving on the back of that award when watching her finish second with Shellebeau on the All-Weather at Kempton on October 1st.
Riding for her father, she sat on a two-year-old filly who wasn’t given a chance by traders in the horse racing betting in the run-up to the off, odds compilers offering a massive 33/1 SP. It would take a big effort to get a runner like that anywhere near the prize money, but Megan had more than enough in her locker and went painfully close.
Finding only one too good under the lights, Shellebeau was given a fantastic ride before bowing to what, on that occasion, was a deserving winner with less than two lengths the difference between first and second.
Source: Haydock Park Races via Twitter
Megan got to work early, driving her mount through the opening few furlongs and they were well in touch with two to go. A lack of speed from Shellebeau was the telling factor when push came to shove and despite being well positioned, the inability to go through the gears and match the winner cost the team gold.
Rae Guest’s Dupioni landed at 16/1, Shellebeau second 33/1 with pre-race favorite Lufricia getting no closer than third despite being sent off 2/1 under the guidance of experienced jockey Andrea Atzeni.Nicholls now looks forward to a busy autumn and winter with some important rides already in her book. She’s due out on the flat at Bath where she’ll go over five furlongs on King of the Ring for her father in an EBF Novices Stakes. Expect many more winners between now and Christmas.