Nico de Boinville has emerged as one of the top British-based jockeys during his time, and as part of that, has created a very successful partnership with leading trainer Nicky Henderson. They’ve been to the biggest races in UK & Ireland, and won, as well as having success in other parts of the world, including America.
De Boinville started his career at the Henderson yard, beginning life at the bottom as a stable lad, riding out in the mornings and working his way up from there. Having said that, it’s clear to see there was a lot of potential in the early days, he didn’t have to wait too long before he was riding in races, and picking up big race wins.
Nico de Boinville Grand National Wins
Nico de Boinville has never won the Grand National.
Their best finish to date was in 2023 with Mister Coffey who came 8th.
Full Results
| Year | Horse | Result | Prize Money | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Mister Coffey | 8 | £15,000 | Nicky Henderson |
| 2019 | Step Back | Fence 25 - Pulled Up | - | Mark Bradstock |
| 2017 | Cocktails At Dawn | Fence 1 - Fell | - | Nicky Henderson |
| 2016 | Hadrian's Approach | Fence 1 - Unseated Rider | - | Nicky Henderson |
Nico de Boinville’s Grand National Record
Despite having a big partnership with Nicky Henderson, and being stable number one jockey for many years, de Boinville hasn’t actually had too many Grand National rides, as it’s not a race that Henderson excels in.
De Boinville rode for the first time in the Grand National back in 2016, where he was onboard Hadrian’s Approach, trained by Henderson. However, the partnership didn’t get very far on his race debut, as the horse fell at the first fence.
A year later, de Boinville was back for more, again riding for Henderson but this time on Cocktails At Dawn. Despite a chance in horse, the outcome was exactly the same, as once again, de Boinville fell at the first fence.
He would have to wait until the 2023 Grand National, when he rode Mister Coffey for his boss, that de Boinville would finally complete the Grand National course, finishing eighth.
Despite no success yet, given the fact that de Boinville is the number one jockey for Nicky Henderson then it will only take Henderson to have a good chance in the race for him to be in with a chance of winning.
Nico de Boinville’s Career Highlights
It’s been an action-packed career so far for Nico de Boinville, with success at the very highest level of racing. As of the 2023 Cheltenham Festival, de Boinville has a total of 16 winners at the meeting to his name. They’ve come across 10 different races at the four-day meeting, including winning three of the four Championship races.
His first Cheltenham Festival winner came in 2014, riding Whisper to success in the Coral Cup, and a year later, he landed his first Championship win. This was the Cheltenham Gold Cup, where de Boinville picked up the ride on the Mark Bradstock-trained Coneygree, winning one of the biggest prizes in racing just over a year after turning professional.
Alongside the Gold Cup, De Boinville has also won the Champion Hurdle and Champion Chase. These all came on horses trained by Henderson, and big names too, Altior, Sprinter Sacre and Constitution Hill.
To further add to his impressive Cheltenham Festival CV, de Boinville was named top jockey at the festival for the first time in 2019, riding three winners across the four days.
While his first Grade One success came early in the UK, de Boinville took time to ride his first Grade One win in Ireland, which came on board Marie’s Rock for Henderson in 2022.
Before that though, he did ride a Grade One winner elsewhere, and that was in the USA. In a surprise move, definitely, one that can be called outside of the box, Nicky Henderson sent his horse Brain Power to run in the USA Grand National Hurdle Stakes, where de Boinville rode, and the pair won.
With many of the top riders retiring while de Boinville was getting to the top, he was able to move forward and claim a record that shows him to be one of the best and most successful riders currently riding. Of the active British jumps jockeys riding as of the end of the 2023 jumps season, de Boinville is the one to have the most Grade One winners to his name.
Big Named Horses Associated with de Boinville
Throughout his career, thanks to the partnership he’s carved out with Nicky Henderson, de Boinville has managed to ride some of the biggest names in racing, and being the main jockey associated with them.
The biggest of these include horses such as Sprinter Sacre, Altior and Constitution Hill, amongst many others who have had success at big meetings, or at Grade One level. Altior is probably the one that really took de Boinville into the spotlight, as their careers seemed to blossom together, whereas Sprinter Sacre was ridden by Barry Gerraghty before de Boinville took over.
Given the number of good horses that go through the Henderson yard, assuming their partnership stays together, it is only a matter of time before we see Nico de Boinville on board another superstar.