Paul Nicholls 'proud' of race-winning daughter

Paul Nicholls and his daughter Olive Nicholls who rode two winners in December

Champion racehorse trainer Paul Nicholls has said he is "proud" of his daughter after she recently rode winners for her mum and dad.

Olive Nicholls, 19, rode Thank You Ma'am, trained by her mother Georgie, for her first Ascot win on 21 December. It followed victory on Him Malaya, trained by her dad, at Taunton earlier in the month.

"She's riding well, she's coming along nicely," Mr Nicholls, based in Ditcheat, Somerset, said.

All three of Mr Nicholls' daughters have inherited a passion for horses, Zara is a keen showjumper and former jockey Megan is now an ITV Racing presenter and pundit.

Olive Nicholls riding Thank You Ma'am

"They've all been heavily involved in it all the way along the line," he explained.

After Ms Nicholls' win at Ascot, he said: "She beat us so I was proud of her."

"[Olive's] ambition is to train, so that could be very interesting," he added.

Paul Nicholls said he naturally gets nervous when his children are competing

Ms Nicholls said: "I've always been around horses.

"It's all I've ever known really."

She "loved" eventing as a child but took up the family business of racing at 16.

"It's always been very helpful having such a great team around you," she said.

"I probably didn't realise quite the extent of how lucky I was and what was going on around me because it was all I ever knew, but it's just been amazing to have grown up here and see from the best, really."

'Deserved a winner'

She called five-year-old Thank You Ma'am "a really special horse".

"He's been 2nd six times now from 10 starts," Ms Nicholls said.

"He's really, really deserved to get a winner.

"It was even more special because of my first winner for Mum as well. There were a lot of tears. But, yes. It is amazing, especially to get one for mum."

Ms Nicholls confirmed she is keen to become a trainer in the future.

"I love the training side of it," she said.

"Me and mum work very close."

She added: "Mum and dad are so different, it's very helpful seeing both sides of it."