This season tells much of the story. Nicholls has had 103 runners and turned out 11 winners, which works out at roughly 1 in every 9 races — an 11% win rate that is respectable for a trainer still in the relatively early stages of establishing herself. Volume matters in this game, and getting over 100 runners in a season means owners trust her with their horses and she has enough quality in the yard to keep competing.
Her best performances come on normal ground conditions, where she wins at a noticeably stronger rate — 5 wins from 31 races, or roughly 1 in every 6. That 16% figure is a meaningful step up from her overall average, and it hints at a trainer who knows how to have her horses ready and primed when conditions suit. Whether that reflects careful placement, horses that genuinely go well on a sound surface, or simply where her best animals have run, it's a pattern worth watching.
Her most regular partnership in the saddle is with jockey William Cox, who has ridden for her 21 times and come home in front twice — 2 wins from 21 rides, or just under 1 in every 10. That's a workmanlike rather than spectacular record together, but the volume of rides shows a genuine working relationship, the kind of trust between trainer and jockey that tends to develop over time and often pays off as the horses improve.
Four years in, 28 winners on the board, and a season that's already matched what many small yards achieve in a full year — Nicholls is quietly doing the work. The interesting question now is whether the next phase of her career sees her start to compete more regularly at a higher level. The early signs are promising.
| Course | Races | Wins | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wolverhampton | 12 | 2 | 16.7% |
| Kempton Park | 10 | 0 | 0% |
| Lingfield Park | 7 | 1 | 14.3% |
| Windsor | 5 | 1 | 20% |
| Uttoxeter | 5 | 1 | 20% |
| Cheltenham | 5 | 0 | 0% |
| Newbury | 5 | 0 | 0% |
| Ffos Las | 4 | 1 | 25% |
| Brighton | 4 | 1 | 25% |
| Huntingdon | 4 | 1 | 25% |
| Cartmel | 4 | 1 | 25% |
| Leicester | 4 | 0 | 0% |
| Haydock Park | 3 | 0 | 0% |
| Stratford-on-Avon | 3 | 0 | 0% |
| hereford | 2 | 1 | 50% |
| Taunton | 2 | 0 | 0% |
| Kelso | 2 | 0 | 0% |
| Sandown Park | 2 | 0 | 0% |
| Wetherby | 2 | 0 | 0% |
| Worcester | 2 | 0 | 0% |
| Newton Abbot | 2 | 0 | 0% |
| Chepstow | 2 | 0 | 0% |
| Warwick | 1 | 1 | 100% |
| Doncaster | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| Nottingham | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| Bath | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| Wincanton | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| Market Rasen | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| Fontwell Park | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| Exeter | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| chelmsford | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| Carlisle | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| Bangor-on-Dee | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| Southwell | 1 | 0 | 0% |