Nicolai ‘Nico’ de Boinville rode his first winner, Western Roots, trained by Andrew Balding, in an amateur riders’ handicap on the Flat at Newbury on August 3, 2008. The following year he joined Nicky Henderson at Severn Barrows in Lambourn, Berkshire, but having ridden just two winners between 2008/09 and 2011/12 he tendered his resignation, intent on returning to France, where he had spent his gap-year with Richard Gibson in Chantilly. Thankfully, Henderson refused to accept his resignation, he rode Petit Robin to victory in the valuable Sportingbet Handicap Hurdle at Sandown on December 8, 2012 and thereafter his fortunes started to improve.
In 2014, de Boinville turned professional and, on Boxing Day, rode his first Grade 1 winner, Coneygree, trained by Mark Bradstock, in the Kauto Star Novices’ Chase at Kempton Park. The following March, he rode the same horse to victory in the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Fast forward to 2025 and de Boinville has 16 Cheltenham Festival winners to his name and an astonishing career tally of 49 Grade 1 winners, more than any other jockey currently riding.
De Boinville enjoyed his most successful season so far, numerically, in 2018/19, when he rode 86 winners from 381 rides, at a strike rate of 23%. In 2019, he was also leading jockey at the Cheltenham Festival for the first time with three winners, namely William Henry in the Coral Cup, Altior in the Queen Mother Champion Chase and Pentland Hills in the Triumph Hurdle; all three horses were saddled by Henderson.
