• Megan Nicholls is an ambassador for York Racecourse

• She has won the Silk Series three times

• Knappers Hill is her biggest winner to date

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Megan Nicholls is now a familiar name to both horse racing punters and viewers alike, but who exactly is this multitalented individual?

We endeavour to find out who this betting favourite and budding television personality is...

Early Life

The daughter of champion National Hunt trainer Paul Nicholls was understandably a pony-mad little girl when her father was sending out winner after winner with high profile horses.

When Megan was just a toddler, her now champion trainer father had won the Cheltenham Gold Cup and King George VI Chase with See More Business and the likes of Kauto Star and Denman were making headlines for the Ditcheat yard.

“Dad used to try and keep us away from the racehorses when he could, but we liked to join the back of the string and get involved. I was mad keen – I think it was harder to drag me off the ponies than get me on them”, she told the Horse And Hound.

Pony racing became Megan’s passion as a child, competing on a little chap called What A Risk, but her schoolwork began to play second fiddle to the horses.

After completing just one year of her lower sixth A-levels, her parents saw that she was desperately unhappy with school and allowed her to work in the yard full time.

A career in National Hunt racing looked all set and in her first season pointing she had 17 winners, but before the following season started she suddenly had a change of heart.

“Once that first pointing season was over, I rode as an amateur on the Flat, had a few winners and loved it – it gave me a different buzz,” she says. “And that’s when I dropped the bombshell that I wanted to be a Flat jockey.”

At first it did not go down to well with Paul and he really believed it was something she would get out of her system, but as of 2022 her Flat successes are still growing and her enthusiasm for it shows no signs of waning.

Her father has even come round to accepting that Flat racing is her current vocation. It is now commonplace for punters to include Megan in their horse racing online bets.

Career Record

As of March 2022, Megan Nicholls has had just shy of 1000 mounts and has amassed 102 winners.

• Most successful racecourses: Newcastle (7) Haydock (5) Bath (3) Redcar (2)

• Winners for trainer: P. Nicholls (11) J. O’Keeffe (4) R.Fahey (3)

• Winners for owners: J.Dance (5) Titanium Racing (5) Mr S.White (2)

• Multiple horse wins: Devil’s Angel (3) Sucellus (2) Oleg (2) Knappers Hill (2)

Biggest Win

Megan Nicholls’ biggest winner to date is her victory aboard Knappers Hill at Aintree in 2021. She partnered Knappers Hill to a Grade 2 success for her father Paul Nicholls in the Weatherbys nhstallions.co.uk Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race.

The horse was tipped up by several shrewd newspaper columnists as their Aintree NAP of the day.

Speaking immediately after her win, an ecstatic Megan said: "I had a great time pointing then turned to the Flat. I’m just so happy.

"Dad and the team have really helped and looked after me and when he mentioned about riding some of the bumper horses I was snapping his arm off.

"You can’t help but be excited riding young gorgeous horses like that. I know I’m babbling on but I’m quite speechless at the same time.

"It’s awesome. Any bigger meeting whether it is over the flat or jumps is huge. To be riding on Grand National day is like anyone's dream. To have a winning chance, let alone be able to ride the winner is just amazing. It’s my first ride in a graded race."

Personal Life

Megan is currently dating fellow jockey Kevin Stott. The couple met in Dubai in the winter of 2019/20 and instantly hit it off, even getting through the lockdown together.

Apparently Stott had to sit through endless hours of Keeping Up With The Kardashians, though it is unlikely that the reality TV show has played any part in Megan's rise to prominence as one of Britain's best horse racing pundits.

When racing started again the pair of them came out in red-hot form with Nicholls also landing a presenting role for herself on Racing TV.

Silk Series

In 2019 Megan won the Silk Series for the third time in three years and did it with a race to spare.

Victory aboard the Richard Fahey-trained Noble Prospector at Wolverhampton gave her a fifth win in th 15-race programme and an unassailable lead over her closest rival Hayley Turner.

Nicholls is the only jockey to have won the innovative series three times, which was launched in 2017 with the aim of promoting and celebrating the best female jockeys. Her riding talents were really showcased through taking part in the competition.

New Horizons

Not only is Megan Nicholls a well established rider and has also become a regular face on Racing TV and ITV Racing, but she is now intent on adding yet another arrow to her bow by adding talent spotting at the sales to her already busy life.

Speaking to the bloodstock folks at the Racing Post, Nicholls explained: "It's definitely something I want to do more of," she says of her work at the sales.

"I've been following a few people around for the last couple of years trying to learn as much as I can, but at some stage you have to stand on your own two feet, so hopefully this year will prove a good opportunity to open a few more doors.

Megan Nicholls Social Media

Like most young and upwardly mobile people, Megan is quite active on the social media platforms. Her Instagram page lists her endorsements and sponsors as:

• Professional jockey sponsored by Morson @morsonsportsnews 

• Pundit @itvracing & @racingtv

• Ambassador for @yorkraces

• Enquiries contact @media_mgmt_

Whilst her Twitter has the following details:

• Professional jockey sponsored by @Morsongroup

• Pundit @itvracing & @racingtv Ambassador @yorkracecourse

• Media Enquiries @media_mgmt_ & @AmieCanham

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*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*

 

FIRST PUBLISHED: 11th March 2022

• Leonna Mayor’s first ever winner was Colinca’s Lad at Yarmouth.

• She was forced to retire from the saddle in 2013.

• Leonna used to drive around in a light green Fiat Punto.

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Leonna Mayor is now a familiar face to horse racing viewers on both Sky Sports Racing and ITV, but who exactly is the lady behind the microphone?

We endeavour to find out who this leading lady of betting is...

Early Life

Born on August 21, 1990, Leonna’s first ever horse related job was when she was aged 13 and worked for a showjumper in Whitchurch called Peter Lamb.

She used to ride the ponies that had come over from Ireland before they were sold. She worked weekends and school holidays and stayed in a caravan on site.

Leonna then went onto work at Brian Baugh’s in Stoke-on-Trent at the age of 14. She loved going there outside of her school hours and enjoyed galloping his string of horses so much.

With her being so small and light it was always the plan to get a licence one day and ride some winners.

After turning 16 Leonna went to the racing school at Newmarket. From there, she got a placement with Tony Carroll and was there for a year as a stable lass.

One of her most vivid memories from her time at Carroll’s was the day when her favourite horse was Harbour Blues was heading to the races. She rode him out most days and always took him racing.

He was flying at home and Tony had put the jockey Cathy Gannon aboard him at Haydock. Leonna was excited to be going and that a girl was riding him.

Not only did he win the best turned out that afternoon, he also went on to win the race. Leonna was so proud of him but she wished it was her up there riding him.

Racing Career

It was after a move to Phil McEntee’s yard that things started to take off for Leonna.

“I got my apprentice licence and after moving to Phil McEntee I got lots of rides,” Mayor told  an interview with the Oxford Mail.

“As I’m sure everyone is aware, with smaller trainers the horses often aren’t so great.

“I think my first winner was on my 51st ride, but once it happens it’s such a great feeling. It’s unbelievable.” It was a comfortable winner too which made it all the more sweeter.

“That win was for Peter Charalambous on a horse called Colinca’s Lad at Yarmouth,” she said.

Mayor cites her favourite memory as when she won the King Richard III Class 3 Handicap at Pontefract on Thunderball, which was her fourth won on him and they had a really strong bond.

He was about 17 hands tall and pretty scared of going in the stalls. But from riding him regularly at home, Mayor got him to settle down at the start and they won the feature race nicely together.

Early Retirement

Leonna’s race riding days were brought to a premature end in 2013, with an ankle injury halted her flourishing career in the saddle.

The “Potter” had 32 winners to her name from 2009-13, before her knock forced her into early retirement from the saddle. She was one of the best female jockeys of her generation.

Mayor rode winners for the following trainers: Peter Charalambous, Dandy Nicholls, Roy Bowring, Ronald Harris, Phil McEntee, Alastair Lidderdale, Jamie Osborne, Joseph Tuite, Lawny Hill and Chris Smith.

Her shortest priced winner was 6/4 and her longest 16/1. On the odd occasion her rides were selected as the NAP of the day by the national press.

Leonna Mayor Model

When she was much younger Leonna appeared in Argos catalogues, but in the spring of 2013, whilst she was sidelined, she reached a different audience altogether when taking part in a series of photoshoots for Zoo magazine and the Daily Star.

Although they were all very tastefully done, and Leonna was a beautiful young woman posing in underwear, it prompted criticism from certain quarters  with her fellow jockey at the time - Kirsty Milczarek, saying it was backward step for women in racing".

That comment probably had a barbed-edge of jealously to it and Mayor was understandably undeterred.

In a recent interview with Lee Mottershead of the Racing Post, Leonna explained the whole modelling chapter and how it was portrayed by certain people:

"I wasn't ever bothered about modelling," she insists. "The Zoo thing only happened because Racing For Change told me they were trying to get a new market interested in racing and in horse racing online bets, and Zoo wanted me for a photoshoot.

"I know the reasons I did it and I think they were the right reasons. It didn't do anyone any harm and I don't regret it.

"I didn't get my boobs out and never would do that. I hope to have children in the future and there's nothing they could find on the internet I would be ashamed of, nothing at all.

"I think because I'm a girl with a certain image I have to work harder. I still believe people look at someone like me and think, 'There's a bimbo'.

"I find it really offensive when people say I only get work on television because I'm pretty. It's not like I'm just standing there in front of a camera doing nothing.

"We all know people who have got jobs for the wrong reasons. I've got jobs because I've worked hard, proved myself and made things happen."

Current Roles

Leonna has been broadcasting now for just over a decade. What started as a part-time sideline is now her full-time profession.

Mayor's main employers are ITV Racing and Sky, plus William Hill TV for whom she has been with right from her early dalliances with broadcasting. She’s has now turned into one of the best horse racing pundits around.

In fact, Leonna is very good on the tipping front, as a fairly recent interaction between myself and William Hill’s finest pundit went on to prove...

 

*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*

 

FIRST PUBLISHED: 11th March 2022

• Toto Wolff net worth is reported to be over £400 million

• A former racing driver himself, Wolff has become famous for his role as part-owner and CEO of the Mercedes Formula One team

• Read below for more on the Austrian’s career to date and his interests away from motorsport

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Toto Wolff is Team Principal and CEO of the Mercedes Formula One team.

The Austrian is a familiar face to those who enjoy betting on Formula 1, a powerful figure in the sport and one of the most successful motorsport executives of all-time.

Synonymous with Mercedes dominance throughout the turbo-hybrid era, Wolff – who holds a 33% ownership stake in the team – has overseen a string of drivers’ and constructors’ titles, though their streak was ended when Max Verstappen was crowned champion in controversial fashion in 2021.

While best known for his role at Mercedes, Wolff first appeared as a sport bet option behind the wheel. He raced in Formula Ford and GT Championships in the 1990s, even winning the Nürburgring 24 Hours in his category.

Toto Wolff Estimated Net Worth

Toto Wolff has a net worth of around £438 million according to various estimations. His path to such wealth isn’t well-trodden.

First a racing driver, Wolff enjoyed some success in Formula Ford, but sponsors withdrew and by his early twenties, he came to accept that a career as a driver was unlikely.

He explained the decision in an interview with UBS, “It wasn’t my decision to quit motor-racing at the age of 22. I had run out of money, my sponsor had pulled out of the sport after Karl Wendlinger's accident in Monte Carlo.

At the time I was also very conscious that I didn’t have the right background to make it. I lacked the go-karting background as a kid, I lacked the financing and the connections and I thought that the business world would be the better career path at that age.”

When his first career in racing came to an end, Wolff turned to investment. Marchfifteen was founded in 1998, followed by Marchsixteen a few years’ later.

They initially focused on technology companies. He also bought a 49% stake in German HWA AG, which developed F3 engines and its iconic Gullwing SLS GT3 race car.

Wolff’s investments were far-reaching and ambitious. To this day, he’s involved in a sports management company with former F1 world champion Mika Häkkinen.

How Much Does Toto Wolff Earn?

Toto Wolff pockets roughly £7 million per year from his role as Team Principal and CEO of Mercedes. While he’s hardly short of cash, that figure puts Wolff way behind Lewis Hamilton’s salary, which is thought to be around £40 million per year.

The Silver Arrows have become the top team in Formula 1 betting tips under Wolff. It’s a very competitive salary by F1 standards, though some reports claim Christian Horner earns marginally more.

Toto Wolff Mercedes

Williams was Wolff’s first gig in Formula One. Initially a shareholder with a place on the board, he became an executive in 2012 only to join Mercedes the following year.

He acquired 30% of the Silver Arrows’ Formula One team. Initially, Wolff was an executive director and managing partner. This was a turning point in Wolff’s life and the broader history of Formula One.

Across 2014 and 2016, Wolff sold off his Williams shares. He was all-in on Mercedes, having succeeded Norbert Haug as the overseer of all motorsport activities.

Through the 2010s, Mercedes completely dominated Formula One. They became the first team ever to win seven consecutive double world Championships, and the only team to win six straight constructors’ titles. Wolff received the John Bolster Award at the 2018 Autosport Awards.

The peak of Mercedes’ success came in 2018. Formula One, F2 and F3 were all theirs. F1 eSports titles were claimed too, as were a collection of customer championships.

Wolff had led the Silver Arrows to the summit, an achievement barely fathomable when he arrived in 2013.

Mercedes have won over half of all Formula One races in the Wolff era. Lewis Hamilton has reached unprecedented levels of success, which Wolff has played a major part in. 

There was speculation about Wolff’s future in the sport at the end of 2020, but he signed a three-year extension, keeping him with the team until the end of 2023.

The 2021 season saw Wolff in front of the cameras more than ever as the rivalry between Mercedes and Red Bull reached boiling point. Tensions between Wolff and Christian Horner were a weekly sideshow for Formula One fans.

The Austrian was fuming with the outcome of the final race, and made his feelings clear to German newspaper BILD.

Wolff said, “It is definitely on a par with the ‘Hand of God’ by Diego Maradona or the Wembley goal from 1986. An inconsistent decision by the race director took the title away from Lewis.”

Family Life

Toto Wolff is married to Susie Wolff, who is the CEO of ROKiT Venturi Racing. The couple had their first child together in 2017.

Toto has two children from a previous marriage to Stephanie – they have an amicable relationship since their divorce.

Toto Wolff Property

Someone of Wolff’s wealth tends to have a spectacular property portfolio. He lives in Monaco with his wife Susie when he’s not jetting around the world for races or sealing business deals.

Of course, Mercedes are based in Brackley. Running one of the most successful F1 teams is tricky if you’re living in a different country, so it has been speculated that Wolff owns a home in Oxfordshire.

While travel has been an enormous part of his adult life, Wolff has always spoken fondly of Vienna.

In 2017, he said, “I was born here. I have lived my first 30 years here. So if I have something like a sense of home, then Vienna is as close as it can get.”

It’s no surprise that a former racing driver and motorsport lover like Wolff has a healthy collection of cars.

While an exact list of Wolff’s garage isn’t available publicly, fans got a quick insight into his assortment of cars when he sold off a LaFerrari Aperta, a Ferrari Enzo and a Mercedes SL65 AMG Black Series in 2021.

Foundations & Charity Work

Away from Formula One circuits, Toto Wolff is the Vice President of the Mary Bendet Foundation, an organisation aiming to improve the quality of life of underprivileged children.

Wolff has also been vocal in trying to increase diversity and inclusion in motorsport, taking a key role in Mercedes’ ‘Accelerate 25’ scheme. 

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*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*

 

FIRST PUBLISHED: 11th March 2022