Olive Nicholls misses the ride on Shantou Flyer in tomorrow’s first hunters’ chase of the season, which takes place at Taunton.
Nicholls dislocated and fractured her collarbone in a fall at Larkhill on New Year’s Eve, but, having passed the racecourse doctor, rode the winner of the next race (on Viroflay, pictured above). After the collarbone became sore she visited a hospital in Oxford the following day and was given the all-clear, but a specialist subsequently diagnosed the injury several days later.
Natalie Parker takes over on Shantou Flyer, one of 12 declared runners in the Geoffrey Bosley “Tally Ho” Open Hunters’ Chase (3.30), and on whom Nicholls finished third in last season’s St James’s Place Festival Hunters’ Chase at Cheltenham. More recently the partnership won at Larkhill in November. The injured rider expects to be on the easy list for four weeks.
Read an interview with Nicholls in Thursday’s edition of Racing Post