Cambridge apprentice Elen Nicholas has spent more time on the sidelines than in the saddle over the last couple of years, but she was back where she belongs at Te Rapa on Saturday – in the winner’s circle.
Nicholas returned from her most recent injury earlier in May and the Phillip Devcich-trained El Zoro (NZ) (Burgundy) delivered a much-awaited first success for the young hoop, saluting in the Wright Civil 2200.
Settling in the one-one, El Zoro travelled in a good rhythm throughout the staying contest and loomed up on the home turn, finding a good kick in the straight to score by a length from Justice.
“It was good to get one over the line, because I’d had a few rides before getting the monkey off the back,” Nicholas said. “It was really good.
“He was actually my first ride back from injury, the first day that I’d ridden him I thought he was a bit of an older, lazy horse and I sent him a little bit too hard and woke him up too much.
“It worked out perfectly in the race this time, I got a nice position on him and rode him a little bit more conservatively. It paid off in the end.”
Originally hailing from Wales, Nicholas initially came to New Zealand in mid-2018 and commenced her apprenticeship in 2020, and while she has accumulated over 80 winners since, the road has been far from smooth.
Nicholas has sustained a number of injuries in race-riding falls, the worst of those coming at Hastings in January last year, when her mount was brought down by another horse. The talented hoop broke her leg in three places, requiring a plate in her ankle and a long road to recovery.
While hugely disappointed to be back at square one, Nicholas, alongside her partner Shaun Phelan, made a conscious decision to give her body the time it needed to fully heal.
“I just wanted to give myself plenty of time because I’ve made a comeback too soon in the past,” she said. “I spoke with my partner Shaun and we agreed at least a year off the scene would be beneficial.
“There were times where it looked like I wouldn’t make a return to riding at all, but I gave myself a full 12 months and then decided to get the plate removed from my ankle, even though I didn’t have to have that done.
“I got the plate removed in December and then I’ve just been slowly building back, I work with a personal trainer online in the UK called James from XCompete. He’s helped a lot with my fitness and nutrition, and because I’m not a completely natural lightweight, there’s been a little bit of a challenge with that.
“But, because I’ve had so much time to get myself in the right shape for it, it has been alright getting back.”
At the age of 28, Nicholas has experienced more adversity than the average athlete would encounter in their entire career. Despite this, she’s gained a fresh perspective, hoping to assist other riders through similar struggles in the future.
“I found the first time being injured, it was pretty scary,” she said. “You’re used to being so busy with trainers calling you, riding, and being around your racing family, so when that all gets switched off, the silence for any young person is pretty daunting.
“Now that it’s happened to me a couple of times, I’ve learned how to deal with it and it’s opened up my eyes to a future after racing. I’d quite like to do something where I can support jockeys through injuries or wanting to make a comeback to racing, that would be something I’d look into.
“I’ve been lucky to have the support of friends and family, they’ve always backed me in this journey and I’m very grateful and appreciative to them. Ted McLachlan (agent) was a big influence to me coming back riding, he was very supportive and is a great mentor.
“It can be a hard place, but you can overcome it with the right tools.”
While the physical and mental setbacks have been tough, Nicholas’ love for the sport never faded, and with at least 18 months remaining in her apprenticeship, she has one goal in mind.
“I love riding horses and racing, so that never went away, but the biggest thing was that every time I thought about retiring, it honestly made me pretty depressed,” she said.
“I thought that if my body is right and I’m fit enough for it, I don’t need to finish riding just yet. I ride the horses in trackwork at Shaun’s and we’ve got a few nice horses in work, so working with them was a nice incentive to come back.
“We had a chat with NZTR last year, and I can’t remember off the top of my head, but I have at least a year and a half left of my apprenticeship left, if not slightly more. Because I’ve had so much time with injury, it’s great that they allow you to put it on hold.
“I’d like to ride 100 winners, that is a personal goal that I’ve set myself.”