Jack Nicholls hoping to uphold family tradition with Miss Yechance

Given his lineage it is no surprise Jack Nicholls has made his breakthrough aboard a horse blessed with speed and he is now dreaming of capping a phenomenal season with a first top-level triumph after Miss Yechance was supplemented for the Prix de l’Abbaye at ParisLongchamp.

The son of former jockey and now trainer Adrian Nicholls, the 20-year-old’s World Trophy success aboard Karl Burke’s improving filly at Newbury last month was a first Group-race victory in his first ever Group-race ride.

He now gets the leg up in a Group One for the first time in a race that may have eluded his father, but was won by his late grandfather, sprint king David ‘Dandy’ Nicholls, with Continent back in 2002.

Nicholls said: “I was always bred to go fast really wasn’t I! It’s quite fitting really that my biggest opportunities so far have come from a filly I know my grandad would have done well with and my dad would likely have been riding. It’s a strange coincidence, but a nice one.

“Dad always likes to remind me of all these races he’s won just to keep me in check when I think I’m doing well, so it would be nice to get one back on him. I think I would be doing well though to ever get to where my grandad was with races and sprinters.

“It’s a bit surreal for me and I’ve never ridden in a Group One and never in France so it’s a huge opportunity and it’s great that the owners, Karl and everyone at Spigot Lodge have put their trust in me to ride her.

“I don’t think it’s quite sunk in yet that I’m riding in a Group One on Arc weekend, but dad knows the score and has been a major help for me with advice and all the lads in the weighing room and Clifford Lee especially have been giving me a hand, preparing me for what to expect over there.”

Nicholls has ridden a clear career-best 42 winners in 2026, but it is Miss Yechance that has really helped propel him into the spotlight, firstly with handicap success during York’s Ebor meeting before that fine sprinting display at Newbury.

On the Knavesmire Miss Yechance had Katie Scott’s Prix de l’Abbaye favourite Naana’s Shadow two lengths in arrears having finished the same distance herself adrift to the Scottish raider at Goodwood before that.

They will lock horns once again on French soil, with Nicholls optimistic his star mount, who is owned the Al Leith Racing Club, still has further improvement up her sleeve.

Nicholls continued: “She’s got plenty of quality and all she has seemed to do is improve since she has come to Karl’s. She’s gone from strength to strength as the year has gone on and seems to be thriving at the minute.

“I quietly fancied her at Newbury and obviously it was a jump in class going from a handicap to a Group race, but the Katie Scott horse had gone and won a Group Three so I was hopeful without being too bullish. It was a nice surprise if not a big shock, if that makes sense!

“She’s in deeper waters again and you can’t go into a Group One too confident as everyone knows how hard it is to win them, but she has some good form going into it now.

“We’re taking on the Katie Scott horse again off level weights this time and it’ll be interesting to see how that goes, but I think she improved plenty from York to Newbury and at York she was just hitting that improvement and from then she’s just gone from strength to strength.

“I saw her going up the gallops with her usual rider the other day and he thinks she’s as good as she’s ever been, so we’re hopeful if not confident.

“Obviously the owners supplemented her and Karl is a very clever man and he wouldn’t supplement if he didn’t think there was a chance of her being in the three and it’s just class to be going over to France for such a ride.

“I just hope both myself and the filly can perform on the day now and do everyone proud.”