David Nicholson (19 March 1939 – 27 August 2006) was a British

National Hunt In horse racing in the United Kingdom, France and Republic of Ireland, National Hunt racing requires horses to jump fences and ditches. National Hunt racing in the UK is informally known as "jumps" and is divided into two major distinct branches: ...

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...

and trainer. He was

British jump racing Champion Trainer The Champion Trainer of National Hunt racing in Great Britain is the trainer whose horses have won the most prize money during a season. The list below shows the Champion Trainer for each season since 1945–46. Winners * 1945–46 - Tommy Rays ...

in the 1993–94 and 1994–95 seasons.

Family and early life

Nicholson was born at

Epsom Epsom is the principal town of the Borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England, about south of central London. The town is first recorded as ''Ebesham'' in the 10th century and its name probably derives from that of a Saxon landowner. The ...

in 1939. His father

Frenchie Nicholson Herbert Charles Denton "Frenchie" Nicholson was a horse racing jockey and trainer. Nicholson acquired his nickname after having been apprenticed in the French city of Chantilly, moving to a stable yard in Epsom to continue his training. He had a ...

, was also a successful jockey and National Hunt trainer. Nicholson's mother, Diana, was the great-granddaughter of William Holman, who trained three

Grand National The Grand National is a National Hunt horse race held annually at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool, England. First run in 1839, it is a handicap ...

winners. He went to

Haileybury College Haileybury may refer to: Australia * Haileybury (Melbourne), a school in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia **Haileybury Rendall School, an offshoot in Berrimah, North Territory, Australia China * Haileybury International School, an international ...

but was mainly educated for a horse racing career in his father's stable. As a young lad Nicholson was nicknamed 'The Duke' by other stable staff because of his manner and his inability to carry out menial work at the stable due to asthma and allergies. The nickname remained with him throughout his life

Horse racing career

Nicholson began as a

flat racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...

jockey from the age of 12 but switched to

National Hunt racing In horse racing in the United Kingdom, France and Republic of Ireland, National Hunt racing requires horses to jump fences and ditches. National Hunt racing in the UK is informally known as "jumps" and is divided into two major distinct branches: ...

where his 6-foot height was better suited to the heavier weights carried by National Hunt jockeys. As a jockey he rode 583 winners over jumps between 1955 and 1974 and came third in the jockeys' championship in the 1964–65 season. His biggest win came in the

Whitbread Gold Cup Whitbread plc is a multinational British hotel and restaurant company headquartered in Houghton Regis, England. The business was founded as a brewery in 1742, and had become the largest brewery in the world by the 1780s. Its largest division ...

on Mill House in 1967. He rode the winner of the

Welsh Grand National The Coral Welsh Grand National is a Premier Handicap National Hunt racing, National Hunt Steeplechase (horse racing), steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to Horse racing, horses aged four years ...

three years in succession from 1959 to 1961, and won four

Cheltenham Festival The Cheltenham Festival is a horse racing-based meeting in the National Hunt racing calendar in the United Kingdom, with race prize money second only to the Grand National. The four-day festival takes place annually in March at Cheltenham Rac ...

races as a jockey. Nicholson began training racehorses in 1968 while still a jockey. He was initially based at Condicote and had his first success when Arctic Coral won at

Warwick Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined with Leamington Spa and Whi ...

in January 1969. He moved to a new stable, Jackdaws Castle, in 1992 after the failure of his business at Condicote. He continued to train there until his retirement in November 1999. As a trainer he was one of the leading trainers in National Hunt racing during the 1980s and 1990s. He won the

Cheltenham Gold Cup The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt horse race run on the New Course at Cheltenham Racecourse in England, over a distance of about 3 miles 2½ furlongs ( ...

with

Charter Party A charterparty (sometimes charter-party) is a maritime contract between a shipowner and a "charterer" for the hire of either a ship for the carriage of passengers or cargo, or a yacht for pleasure purposes. Charter party is a contract of carriag ...

in 1988, the

King George VI Chase The King George VI Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Kempton Park over a distance of ...

with

Barton Bank Barton Bank (1986-2007) was one of the top National Hunt chasers of the mid 1990s. He won the 1993 King George VI Chase as well as two Charlie Hall Chases at Wetherby (1993 and 1995). Background He was trained by David Nicholson and in his ...

in 1993 and the

Queen Mother Champion Chase The Queen Mother Champion Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. As part of a sponsorship agreement with the onl ...

with

Viking Flagship Viking Flagship (1987–2000) was an Irish racehorse who began his racing career in October 1989 as a 2-year-old. He was first trained by his breeder, Eithne C Holdsworth, in Co. Kilkenny and then by Martin Pipe. He had 18 starts in Ireland wi ...

in 1994 and 1995. He retired in 1999. In 2008 an extra race was added to the

named the

David Nicholson Mares' Hurdle The David Nicholson Mares' Hurdle, currently known for sponsorship purposes as the Close Brothers Mares' Hurdle, is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to mares aged four years or older. It ...

in honour of Nicholson.

Major wins as trainer

Cheltenham Gold Cup The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt horse race run on the New Course at Cheltenham Racecourse in England, over a distance of about 3 miles 2½ furlongs ( ...

- (1) - ''Charter Party (1988)'' *

- (1) - ''Barton Bank (1993)'' *

- (2) - ''Viking Flagship (1994, 1995)'' *

Melling Chase The Melling Chase, currently known for sponsorship purposes as the Marsh Chase, is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Ain ...

- (2) - ''Viking Flagship (1995, 1996)'' *

Stayers' Hurdle The Stayers' Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain. It is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 3 miles ...

- (1) - ''

Anzum Anzum (foaled 6 April 1991) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse best known for his performances in National Hunt racing. After failing to win in eight races on the flat he made an immediate impact when switched to hurdle races, winning his fir ...

(1999)'' * Christmas Hurdle - (1) - ''Mighty Mogul (1992)'' *

Triumph Hurdle The Triumph Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years. It is run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 2 miles and 1 f ...

- (2) - ''Solar Cloud (1986), Mysilv (1994)'' * Sun Alliance Novices' Hurdle - (2) - ''Thetford Forest (1992), Putty Road (1995)'' * Arkle Challenge Trophy - (1) - ''Waterloo Boy (1989)'' *

Sefton Novices' Hurdle The Sefton Novices' Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Aintree over a distance of about 3 miles and half ...

- (3) - ''Barton Bank (1992), Corner Boy (1994), Forest Ivory (1997)'' *

Tingle Creek Chase The Tingle Creek Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Sandown Park over a distance of about 2 miles (1 mil ...

- (5) - ''Long Engagement (1987, 1989), Waterloo Boy (1991, 1992), Viking Flagship (1994)'' *

- (1)- ''Call it a Day (1998)'' *

Mackeson Gold Cup The Paddy Power Gold Cup is a Premier Handicap National Hunt chase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a distance of a ...

- (2) - ''Very Promising (1986), Another Coral (1991)''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nicholson, David 1939 births 2006 deaths British racehorse trainers English jockeys Sportspeople from Epsom People educated at Haileybury and Imperial Service College

Family and early life

Horse racing career

Major wins as trainer

See also

References