The Pointing People series has covered plenty of roles in the sport over the years, but never that of jockey-steward!
Nick Romain, 27, is potentially unique in that he combines the two, having ridden his first winner at Terrierman on Easter Monday and having officiated at Badbury Rings and Milborne St Andrew earlier in the season. Unlike the other recent subjects of these articles, Nick (pictured above on Terrierman at Brafield-on-the-Green) does not work full-time in racing, but has an unrelated day job involving lots of travel across the country. Jake Exelby spoke to him last week during one of his long journeys to find out how he manages to fit everything in to his busy life.
How did you get into racing and point-to-pointing?
I grew up in Richmond and went to school in Ealing, West London, although racing’s always been in my family. My grandfather, Owen McNally, was a jockey – he rode Highland Wedding – and I rode ponies when I was growing up, so the desire’s always been there.
I started riding properly when I was at university in York and my parents moved to Winchester, which gave me the opportunity to ride out for Seamus Mullins. I’m naturally quite competitive and became good friends with some of his jockeys. I met Becca (Nick’s fiancée Rebecca Ffooks, who trains Terrierman) through friends of Seamus – she was working for Paul and Georgie Nicholls at the time and that’s how my first pointer, Judge John Deed, came about. I picked him out of Paul’s yard. He was an absolute star of a horse. I rode him four times in 2018/2019 and once the next season. He then had a setback – we’d planned to race him again but decided to retire him for an easy life and he’s still around.
Nick going out to ride Judge John Deed at Barbury (Jeff Welch)
Tell me about Terrierman, your first win and your future plans
I still had the bug, so we bought Terrierman at Doncaster sales in May. He fit the bill, having run in chases, and has proved perfect. He’s a nice conveyance with a good attitude who stays the trip, and we were pleased to get him.
This year, he’s exceeded expectations and been fantastic. The main goal was to get round safely and have a good day out, but he’s kept staying on. Winning at Lockinge was brilliant with all my family there – we’ll probably put him away now and Becca will one-day event him over the summer.
Nick schooling Terrierman
The plan next season is to run in a handful of points then go Hunter Chasing. I did a course at Newmarket but I’m going to hold off until next season, then get my Category A licence. I definitely want to keep on riding and stay on an upward trajectory. It’s great to have my own horse, even though I can only ride him out at the weekend as I’m away during the week. He’s stabled at Hen Knight’s at West Lockinge. Hen and her team are brilliant – Becca has a young eventer there, so can ride both horses every day – and we’re always asking them questions.
How do you balance being a steward with race-riding?
I’ve only done a couple of days stewarding this season – it’s something I got into when I wasn’t race-riding. It works well – when I’m riding, I understand the rules and expectations and, when I’m a steward, I understand the challenges riders face. I enjoy it and, having only done it a handful of times, everyone’s happy to help.
Which jockeys do you most admire and why?
Sam Waley-Cohen and David Maxwell. They’re both fantastic jockeys with exceptional careers, which resonates with me. I understand the challenges they face, but not how they fit it all in!
What are your favourite courses?
Lockinge, not just because of my first winner but because it’s close to home. I’ve ridden work round Larkhill and would love to have a spin in a race round there.
What do you enjoy most about pointing?
The main attraction is the horses, which I love. Then you’re outside, you can get close to the action, you can walk the course. The atmosphere can be brilliant, particularly when you know lots of people there.
What would you do if you were in charge of the sport?
I enjoy the owner-trainer races, and the keeper-jockey races – we also entered that one at Lockinge. I’d have more of those, as they attract people like me – with only one horse – into the sport. I’d also have more opportunities for novice riders – races like that cast the net wider.
Tell me about your day job
I work for (multi-national resourcing company) Veolia. I’m a contracts manager, looking after properties, mainly for pharmaceutical companies. At the moment I’m travelling from my home at Arlington, near Lockinge point-to-point course, to sites near Cambridge and Manchester. Some days, I’m on the road for six to eight hours – I’m my own worst enemy!
Do you have any hobbies outside racing?
As a teenager, I did a lot of kayaking with the Richmond Canoe Club. I competed at a high level across the UK and internationally – I represented Britain in marathon (18 miles) kayaking at under-18 and uner-23 level. It took up a lot of my time!
Nick in his kayaking days
What about books and films?
I don’t have much time for that. The last book I read was Brough Scott’s Churchill at the Gallop, about Churchill’s life with horses. The best film I’ve seen recently was Maverick – Top Gun’s always been my favourite film.
Where are you going on honeymoon?
We’re discussing that between us. A safari’s one of the options, but I’ll leave that in Becca’s capable hands!