Nico de Boinville

Nico de Boinville is an English National Hunt jockey who serves as principal rider for Nicky Henderson at the Seven Barrows stable in Lambourn. That partnership has produced winners at the highest level of jump racing, including victories in the Champion Hurdle and the Queen Mother Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.

De Boinville's association with top-class horses has defined his career. He rode Buveur d'Air to back-to-back Champion Hurdle victories in 2017 and 2018, demonstrating his ability to handle a horse who required confidence and accurate hurdling. His partnership with Altior in the Queen Mother Champion Chase was equally significant; Altior's unbeaten run over fences, which included two Champion Chase victories, was one of the great sequences in modern jump racing. He also won the Champion Hurdle on Constitution Hill in 2023, a performance of raw talent where horse and jockey made the championship's defining test look routine.

His riding style is polished and classical. De Boinville comes from a racing family, was educated at Harrow, and carries himself with a quiet professionalism that belies the physical demands of National Hunt racing. He is an accurate judge of a stride at a hurdle or fence, and his ability to keep a horse balanced through the jumping phases of a race is one of his strongest assets. Henderson's operation is one of the largest and most successful in British jump racing, and de Boinville's role as first jockey gives him access to some of the best jumpers in training. He repays that access with consistent results on the days that matter most.

In 2026, de Boinville will be a leading contender for the major prizes at the Cheltenham Festival, where Henderson traditionally sends a powerful squad. He may also ride at the Grand National meeting at Aintree. Fans can follow in United Kingdom time.