Nicola Currie, 28, was born on the Isle of Arran in Scotland. She attended Shiskine Primary School before transferring to Arran High School. Her passion for horse racing blossomed while studying horse management at Outridge University in Edinburgh. Today, Nicola Currie’s victory on Princess Shabnam in the Listed EBF Stallions Highfield Farm Flying Fillies’ Stakes at Pontefract was a spectacular comeback for her most significant triumph in the saddle in her career to date. It was also Sean Woods’ first Pattern-class victory since returning to the UK from Hong Kong.
Who is Nicola Currie? Nicola Curie is a top level female racing jockey. After coasting through her claiming season with win after win and hitting the big time with Jamie Osborne in 2018, Nicola Currie sustained an injury (she was wounded at Yarmouth in 2019 when unseated from the Charlie Wallis-trained Arzaak in a 5f handicap), and it was back to square one. She was the top all-weather apprentice that season, with 81 victories from roughly 800 rides. Her return had gone full circle with her win aboard Princess Shabnam in a Group race, followed by her contribution to Captain Hayley Turner’s Ladies’ Team triumph in the Shergar Cup in 2021.
Even though Hollie Doyle, Laura Pearson, and Hayley Turner are flying high, Currie is anxious to retake her spot at the top of the pecking order. Trainers will be lined up to use the 28-year-old from the Isle of Arran if Ascot’s Shergar Cup triumph in 2021 and best jockey award are any clues.
She’s also returned to the William Hill Racing League, where she rides in pink for the Racehorse Lotto team. Currie, who went solo following her divorce from Osborne, believes that performing well will lead to a flood of new partnerships. That job went to Osborne’s daughter Saffie, but Currie expected it and was ready to prove herself. A new alliance with rising star George Boughey has paid off, and a double on Shergar Cup day has re-established her as a contender.
An Interview with Nicola Currie
In a recent interview, Currie spoke candidly about her humble beginnings, apprenticeship, injury and comeback.
- Trainer Jamie Osborne
She said: “I always knew Saffie would come along, but I don’t think it was the worst thing to happen to me. It wasn’t the best timing, but I tried to look at it positively. “As a freelancer, it allows me to do things like the Shergar Cup”.
- Her Comeback
“Earning a living and driving to Wolverhampton racecourse for a few rides is fine, but I want to be successful and being on the stage when it’s those big days is what it’s really about.” She added that her countrymen on the island off the west coast of Scotland (with a population of only 5,000) still tune in to her races at one of the pubs in the area. She said: “I’m certainly the only jockey that’s ever come from up there, maybe even the only person that’s gone on to work in racing! “
- Her Beginnings
“When I first moved from home, I rode for Jamie Osborne before moving to Richard Hughes, and that’s where I rode out my entire claim. “He was the making of my career. He taught me how to race, ride and be tough and, as he had quite a few other apprentices in the yard, you had to pull your finger out, prove you were fitter, and work harder for it.”
- The Racing League and the Shergar Cup
Already the new Queen of the Shergar Cup, Currie hopes she can help Racehorse Lotto to the title in the Racing League, and the young jockey from Scotland is a massive fan of the new event. She explained: “I’ve not heard a negative word about the Racing League in the weighing room. We all enjoy it as it’s something different, and as part of a team, you have people backing you.
“But it primarily makes a difference when racing for decent prize money. “There’s some serious money up for grabs, and it makes it more than worthwhile being there, which can’t be said for every meeting you ride”.
Nicola Currie – Horse Racing Statistics
- First Runner 29 Aug 2013Wind Shuffle (Ger)
Hamilton Park (Gb) | Taggarts Nissan ‘Hands And Heels’ Apprentice Series Handicap (Round Four of The Hamilton Park Apprentice Series)
- First Win 20 Dec 2016Believe It (Ire)
Kempton Park Aw (Gb) | Racing UK All Weather ‘Hands And Heels’ Apprentice Handicap
- Best Horse: RAISING SAND (Timeform Rating 115)
OASIS DREAM (GB) BALALAIKA (GB) [By SADLER’S WELLS (USA)]
- First Group Win (LR): PRINCESS SHABNAM (14 Aug 2022)
GREGORIAN (IRE) GREEN VISION (IRE) [By GREEN DESERT (USA)]
2021 Shergar Cup Heroics – Nicola Currie
The Ladies’ Team won the 2021 Dubai Duty-Free Shergar Cup after an exciting day of racing, courtesy of two wins from Nicola Currie and a crucial third place from the rider in the final race.
Three of the four teams maintained their advantage throughout the day, with Currie and her colleagues Hayley Turner and Mickaelle Michel taking a five-point lead going into the final Dubai Duty-Free Shergar Cup Dash.
Ireland’s Joe Fanning and Tadhg O’Shea placed 1-2 in the final race, with David Egan fourth for the same team, but the Ladies triumphed by three points because of Currie’s third place aboard Royal Scimitar.
Nicola Currie – First Group Victory
Currie’s first Group Winner on Princess Shabnam in the Listed EBF Stallions Highfield Farm Flying Fillies’ Stakes at Pontefract was her most significant success in the saddle in her career to date. Below are the Rating Statistics of Princess Shabnam, with the graph below displaying how well the horse has progressed through its career. Its rating is currently at its peak, and on the Race performance Radar, the punter can see how its Rating and Group Ratings Indices have jumped well above the average over the spring distances.
Nicola Currie – From Strength to Strength
Nicola Currie’s journey from a small town in Scotland to one of the best apprentices in the UK, an injury-enforced layoff, and then the comeback with a Group Race winner and victory with her team in the Shergar Cup is nothing short of remarkable.
She is a jockey with immense talent and determination. If she continues progressing at the rate since her comeback, the sky will be the limit for this young Lady from Scotland. The eyes of the Racing World are on her, and we all wish her well into the future.