Star jockey taking nothing for granted before high-pressure season

Considering the triumphant manner in which Nico de Boinville finished last season, one might forget that he missed a large chunk of the year after shattering his arm at what was then still called the Cheltenham Open meeting in September.

Although at one stage it looked touch and go whether the jockey would return in time for the serious business in the spring, not only did he make it back in plenty of time for the Cheltenham Festival – albeit after three and a half months on the sidelines – but he left his mark in no uncertain terms with Grade 1 successes aboard top novice chasers Altior and Might Bite.

Big guns: chasing stars Altior (right) and Might Bite face off at Seven BarrowsCredit: Edward Whitaker

Playing an integral part in Nicky Henderson's trainers' title, De Boinville ended the season with sparkling victories on the same horses at Aintree and Sandown. Despite the lengthy mid-season absence, a final score of 59 represented his second-highest score, only ten fewer than his personal best of 69 in 2015-16. Quality, though, will always trump quantity at Seven Barrows, and in that respect nobody should doubt this is a potentially crucial winter for De Boinville given his senior role at the Henderson operation, to which he has been attached since his amateur days in 2009.

Competition is always fierce among the Henderson jockeys, a situation only heightened by the recent recruitment of star conditional James Bowen. De Boinville, however, remains in pole position for Henderson, although with certain powerful owners having their own retained riders he baulks at the suggestion that he is stable number one. Indeed, he is taking nothing for granted as he looks ahead to a high-pressure season – not that he is any stranger to such, having taken the reins on Sprinter Sacre after Barry Geraghty joined the JP McManus team.