Hear the full interview
From 10:21 in Wednesday’s episode of Nick Luck Daily. Press play to start at the interview.
Jack Nicholls says Miss Yechance is “a horse of a lifetime” as the 20-year-old prepares for his first Breeders’ Cup ride in Saturday’s Turf Sprint at Keeneland.
The Prix de l’Abbaye winner has been handed the widest draw of all in stall 14, but Nicholls said the Karl Burke-trained filly could not be in better shape. “She’s fresh as paint. She’s travelled over very well and she looks great,” he told Nick Luck on the Keeneland backstretch. “She’s taking it all in her stride. Travelling’s nothing new to her, so she couldn’t be in any better spot if we tried.”
“To have her in my second year riding, at 20, is unbelievable, and to ride in a Breeders’ Cup so early is what everyone works a whole career for,” he said. “I’m very grateful to the boss and the owners for keeping the trust in me and giving me the opportunity.”
“She’s a horse of a lifetime. To ride in a Breeders’ Cup so early is what everyone works a whole career for.”
Jack Nicholls
‘One up on Dad’
Nicholls comes from a well-known racing family. His father, Adrian, was a top jockey, and his grandfather, David, rode and then became a hugely successful trainer. But Jack is the first of them to ride at the Breeders’ Cup.
“My granddad was obviously class at training, and he wasn’t a bad jockey, and my dad was a very good jockey as well, so to have one up on him already is very good,” he said with a grin. “I’ll make sure he knows about it.”
He says his father is a calm presence. “He goes through my races with me and tells me if I should be changing anything in the way I ride,” he said. “But on race day he just tells me to keep it simple and relax. He never puts any pressure on me. He’s a good mentor.”
Riding for luck from 14
Nicholls knows the draw makes things harder. “The Americans are obviously very fast out of the gates compared to Europeans, and from 14 we’ll probably have to ride for a bit of luck and slot in where we can,” he said. “Hopefully they go hard up top.”
Miss Yechance has come from off the pace in her last three runs, but Nicholls said she does not have to. “She’s fairly straightforward. You can’t make too much of a plan until the day, but I have an idea in my head of what I’m going to do,” he said, adding that he would be keeping it under his hat for now.
