Point-to-point column: Olive Nicholls retires from race-riding

A double on the Newton Abbott card on Wednesday evening provided 20-year-old amateur jockey Olive Nicholls with the perfect swansong, announcing her retirement from the saddle with immediate effect.

Winning on Viroflay and Golden Son for her father Paul, Nicholls confirmed: “I have absolutely loved my time in the saddle, and have been lucky enough to have some awesome days on very special horses. I have always loved the training side and enjoyed two seasons training pointers. Moving down to Dad’s last summer was always with the intention of pursuing that route and this feels the right time to hang up my boots and move up as assistant. I am really looking forward to this next chapter.” 

Nicholls rode 28 point-to-point winners and 25 under rules, and we wish her all the best for the future.

The Hunter Chase at Perth on Wednesday evening provided 43-year-old James Innes with a first winner under rules riding his own horse, Theoldbogroad, trained by Nick Orpwood in Northumberland. Orpwood said: “Jamie has a proper job in the city, he comes in two or three times a week galloping and schooling. It is a classic proper pointing story. He bought the horse in Ireland, we have won a couple of points and then to go there last night surrounded by his friends and family and win was just brilliant. It is what it is all about.”  

Innes, who works in private client insurance for Brown and Brown, has now ridden eight winners and said: “It was just the best fun, there is nothing quite like jumping a fence upsides at speed, as long as the landing gear comes out!"

In a sport which is so professional now, Innes added: "Everyone last night was so kind and friendly, the professional amateurs make the bumbling idiot like me feel so included and involved and everyone was happy for me. He ran disappointingly last time at Kelso so I decided I needed to get my act together last night and keep him up to the task. It was great, the children were there to see their Daddy having fun. It's great when it is going well.” 

Rising stars, both equine and human, have been plentiful during the 2025-26 season, and with only ten championship scoring meetings remaining, there is still all to play for in some of the divisions. 

Gina Andrews is on target to record her 12th female jockeys' title. Domination throughout the season looked likely following the early injury to Izzie Hill, and Andrews says: “It was so disappointing Izzie got injured because she is always there chasing me, and making it competitive. There are some really good girls behind me, but they need more opportunities.” 

Ellie Callwood is one such female riders deserving of more chances, and although 30 winners behind Andrews, is attached to the Leicestershire yard of Kelly Morgan. She says: “We have had so many seconds and the double we had at Dingley two weeks ago was brilliant. We are a small team so it's been great. Personally, I have ticked off some goals. My hunter chase winner, and then 12 pointing so far has given me my best season yet, and have picked up some great outside rides. To finish runner-up to Gina is very pleasing.” 

James King is on course to secure a fifth consecutive title, and is currently sitting on 54 winners. During the 2021-22 season, he finished on 62 winners, and with the support of Luke Price from now until the end of the season, it would be no surprise to see him reach, and even surpass, that total. 

King said: “It has been another brilliant season, I am obviously very lucky to ride for such a great group of owners and trainers.” 

Luke Price has always been known for his dominance late in the season - due to his business of breaking and selling cobs - he simply doesn’t have the time to train the pointers until later in the year, but it has proved a fruitful venture in supplying King with ammunition right until the end. And last season, Price secured himself with the trainers' award for yards with six-14 horses. 

A similar picture is unfolding this season. Price is level with Dale Peters on 17 winners, but Peters has confirmed his point-to-point season is finished, and his last runners will target Stratford on May 29th for the Hunter Chase evening. 

Price says: “I didn’t set out with the goal to regain that title, I ran a few much earlier this season and I set out to do so, but sadly four got injured after their first runs so that was them out so it put me on the back foot to do what I usually do. We will be carrying on right until the end, I have lots entered this weekend and will run what I think can win. We will also be at Bratton Down and Umberleigh after the championship comes to an end on the bank holiday weekend. We will keep doing what we do.” 

In third position is Emma Summersby on 14 winners. Summersby has enjoyed her best season to date. Hidden Heroics and Clonagoose have won multiple times, and the latter, being only a five-year-old, looks progressive. 

John Gardener could be considered the luckiest owner within the pointing field. Not only does he half own the aforementioned Clonagoose alongside Torben Hughes, he and his wife Sonia outrightly own the Josh Newman trained Woodstock Octo. 

These two young horses head the leading horse Championship with six wins apiece and Gardener says: “I am very lucky, Torben and I go back a very long way. Emma’s husband Dean was keen on Clonagoose so we bought him. He is very small and when he came over from Ireland he looked like a pony-racer! Woodstock Octo has been very progressive and I loved to see Lucas Murphy win on him the other day. I take great satisfaction in helping the young jockeys along.” 

On Wednesday evening at Cothelstone, Murphy won aboard Gardeners Clondaw Drake and now leads the Men's Novice Championship by six wins to Fred Phillpson-Stow. A superb first season has seen sixteen-year-old Murphy display his talents and has built connections and, pleasingly, he intends to remain within the point-to-point scene for another season at least. 

Clondaw Drake’s victory extended Josh Newman’s lead to four ahead of Gina Andrews and Chris Barber who also enjoyed a winner on the night and both sit on 39 with Newman on 43. Newman says: "Last night at Cothelstone was brilliant to equal last season's winners. Hopefully we can keep fighting to the end, I am very pleased with how it has all gone.” 

The success of Woodstock Octo, Clonagoose and Clondaw Drake have also put John and Sonia Gardener at the top of the Leading Owners Championship table with 13 winners. A position most deserving of long-standing supporters of the sport. Gardener said: “Over all my years point-to-pointing I have met some wonderful people and had some wonderful times. There have been seasons with no winners then ones like this. That's horses, they take you from the council house to the castle and back again.” 

Katie Featherstone looks to have secured the Ladies Novice Championship and a double last weekend at Kingston Blount took her to nine wins, four clear of Molly Legg. Featherstone said: “I have been lucky that my own horses have flown the flag for me this season but it was brilliant to ride to winners at the weekend for outside yards.” 

Hexham, Northumberland, NE4 2JP. 6 races, first race 2pm 

Pepper Harrow, Surrey, GU8 6LA. 6 races, first race 2pm. 

Bratton Down, Devon, EX31 4SG. 6 races. First race 2pm 

Edgecote, Oxfordshire, OX17 1AG. 6 races, first race 2pm. 

Tabley, Cheshire, WA16 0HB. 6 races, first race 2pm.