David 'Dandy' Nicholls (1956–2017) was a British

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase (horse racing), 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 ...

and

racehorse trainer A horse trainer is a person who tends to horses and teaches them different disciplines. Some responsibilities trainers have are caring for the animals' physical needs, as well as teaching them good behaviors and/or coaching them for events, which ...

who competed in

flat racing Horse racing is an equestrianism, equestrian performance activity, 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 spor ...

. He was particularly noted for his success training horses who raced over five and six

furlong A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one-eighth of a mile, equivalent to any of 660 foot (unit), feet, 220 yards, 40 rod (unit), rods, 10 chain (unit), chains, or a ...

s and was nicknamed “the Sprint King�
Sprint-King-David-Dandy-Nicholls
Nicholls was born in

Pudsey Pudsey is a market town in the City of Leeds borough in West Yorkshire, England. It is located midway between Bradford city centre and Leeds city centre. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, it has a population of 25,393. History T ...

, West Yorkshire, in 1956, and spent his early racing career as an apprentice jockey in the stables of Deryck Bastiman at

Wetherby Wetherby ( ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the City of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is close to West Yorkshire county's border with North Yorkshire and lies approximately from Leeds city centre, from ...

, riding his first winner in 1973. He subsequently worked for Clifford Watts at

Bridlington Bridlington (previously known as Burlington) is a seaside town and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is on the Holderness part (Flamborough Head to the Humber estuary) of the Yorkshire Coast by the North Sea. The town is ...

and then David Chapman. At Chapman's stables he formed a partnership with the filly

Soba Soba ( or , "buckwheat") are Japanese noodles made primarily from buckwheat flour, with a small amount of wheat flour mixed in. It has an ashen brown color, and a slightly grainy texture. The noodles are served either chilled with a dipping sau ...

, on whom he won the Stewards' Cup in 1982. He was nicknamed "Dandy" after the actress

Dandy Nichols Dandy Nichols (born Daisy Sander; 21 May 1907 – 6 February 1986) was an English actress best known for her role as Else Garnett, the long-suffering wife of the character Alf Garnett, in the BBC sitcom '' Till Death Us Do Part''. Early l ...

. Nicholls retired in 1993 after riding 421 winners and began a training career at stables at

Sessay Sessay is a small, linear village and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. It is situated approximately south-east from Thirsk, and west from the A19 road close to the East Coast Main Line. The civil parish also includes the village of ...

, sending out his first winner in December of the same year. He gained his nickname of “the Sprint King” with victories in several of the sport's major Group 1 races and repeat victories in top

handicap races A handicap race in horse racing is a race in which each horse is assigned a specific weight to carry, determined by its past performance and perceived ability. Stronger horses carry more weight, while less accomplished ones carry less. This syst ...

including six wins in the

Ayr Gold Cup The Ayr Gold Cup is a flat handicap horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Ayr over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it is scheduled ...

, three in the Stewards' Cup and four in the Epsom Dash. His final winner was Sovereign Debt in 2017 and he retired from training shortly after citing financial problems. He trained the winners of 1,269 races.

Personal life

Nicholls was married to jockey Alex Greaves. In 2016, he was charged with sexual assault, having allegedly groped two women. Nicholls died in June 2017, aged 61, before the trial was heard.

Major wins as a trainer

Great Britain *

Haydock Sprint Cup The Sprint Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Haydock Park over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), a ...

- (1) - ''Regal Parade (2009)'' *

July Cup The July Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run on the July Course at Newmarket over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 me ...

- (1) - ''

Continent A continent is any of several large geographical regions. Continents are generally identified by convention (norm), convention rather than any strict criteria. A continent could be a single large landmass, a part of a very large landmass, as ...

(2002)'' *

Nunthorpe Stakes The Nunthorpe Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged two years or older. It is run at York over a distance of 5 furlongs (1,006 metres), and it is sc ...

- (2) - ''

Ya Malak Ya Malak (18 January 1991 – ca. 25 March 1999) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse. A specialist sprinter, he won ten of his forty-nine races in a track career which lasted from May 1993 until September 1998. In his first three seasons he ...

(1997), Bahamian Pirate (2004)'' ---- France *

Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp The Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged two years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 1,000 metres (about 5 furlongs ...

- (1) - ''Continent (2002)'' *

Prix Maurice de Gheest The Prix Maurice de Gheest is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Deauville over a distance of 1,300 metres (about 6½ furlongs), and it is s ...

- (1) - ''Regal Parade (2010)''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nicholls, David 1956 births 2017 deaths English jockeys British racehorse trainers Sportspeople from Pudsey People charged with sex crimes