Nick Heywood was crowned winner of the 2024/2025 NZ Bloodstock Canberra Racing Jockey Premiership, beating out Rebecca Bronett Prag and Jean Van Overmeire. Bronett Prag and Van Overmeire shared the lead heading into the final meeting, before a Heywood treble saw him swoop to the front, like many of the great horses he’s had the pleasure of riding this year, and take victory.
The final race day of the 2024/2025 season at Canberra arrived with a palpable tension that hummed through the air. The “whiz kid” from the Riverina who had built his career on dedication, a unique instinct for a horse, and an unbreakable bond with his racing community. He didn’t just need a single win; he needed a treble to snatch victory. The first of the three races was aboard the six-year-old gelding, Fine Vintage, trained by Luke Pepper. The horse, with a strong record and a last-start win, was a deserved favourite. For weeks, Pepper had been meticulous in preparing the gelding, and he’d briefed Nick on a simple, confident plan: let the horse use its natural speed. “He’s well found, Nick,” Pepper had said. “Just ride him like he knows what he’s doing.”
Nick settled into the saddle, the horse’s powerful stride a familiar rhythm beneath him. He didn’t hesitate. He took Fine Vintage to the front from the start, a bold move that put immediate pressure on the rest of the field. He could hear the commentary, a rising crescendo of “Heywood leads on Fine Vintage!” He felt the gelding’s ears flick back and forth, listening to him, and he knew they were in perfect sync. They led all the way, and in the final hundred meters, Nick was able to ease him down, cruising to a comfortable 1.5-length victory. It was a perfect start, a statement of intent, but the pressure remained.
One win down, two to go. The second race was a different kind of challenge, a maiden on the four-year-old Sooo Crazy, a horse from Rob Potter’s stable. Maidens can be unpredictable, but this one was well-backed, and Potter’s trust in Nick was absolute. Their partnership was built on a mutual respect for a horse’s temperament. “He’s got the gears,” Potter had said. “It’s just about finding them. I’m backing Nick to get him to the front and let him run.” Nick deployed similar front-running tactics.
The moment the gates crashed open, Sooo Crazy was explosive. Nick let the horse roll, his body low over its neck, a whisper in the wind. He could feel the raw talent, the untapped potential beneath him. The horse responded with a sensational run, stretching out the margin with every stride. As they turned for home, they were already well clear, leaving the rest of the field in their wake.
The roar from the crowd was building, a wave of sound crashing over the track. They stormed home to a massive 6.5 length victory. It wasn’t just a win; it was a demolition. The premiership was now a dead heat. The tension was suffocating.
The final race of Nick’s day was the one that would decide everything. Nick was aboard King Taurus, a horse from the renowned Danny Williams stable. This was a critical ride, not just for the premiership but for the validation of Heywood’s judgment. He had a choice to ride the promising five-year-old, London Boy, but his gut instinct—the very thing Williams had always appreciated about him—had told him to pick up the ride on King Taurus, a horse paying a lucrative $9. It was a gamble, a choice to trust his feel for the animal over the form guide.
Drawn on the rails, Nick settled the steed a little worse than midfield. The pace was hot up front, and the runners fanned out, searching for clear air. Nick held his position, his eyes scanning for an opening.
As they rounded the home straight, the field bunched. A small gap, a sliver of daylight, appeared on the inside rail. It was a risky move, one that many would have dismissed as too dangerous, but Nick remembered a comment from Williams after a past victory: “He made the right decision coming on the inside. It worked out pretty well.”
The memory was a sign. He took it. The moment he asked the horse to go, King Taurus showed a sizzling turn of foot. It was an unyielding force, accelerating past the race favourite, I Show Speed, as if it were standing still.
The roar from the crowd was a deafening wave. Nick, low in the saddle, urged the horse on, not just for the win, but for the premiership. King Taurus showed the heart of a champion, gapping the field and winning by over 7 lengths.
The roar erupted. It wasn’t just a win; it was the treble. It was the premiership. As he pulled King Taurus up and rode back to the winner’s stall, the cheers felt different. It was the sound of a dream realised, a decade of relentless effort paying off in a single, perfect afternoon. Trainers Luke Pepper, Rob Potter, and Danny Williams all came to shake his hand, their faces radiating a blend of pride and vindication. It was the validation of a shared vision, a community of people who believed in a horseman’s instinct.
He had come home, and he had done it his way—with skill, with grit, with the unwavering trust of his trainers, and with the heart of an absolute champion. The premiership trophy felt heavy and solid in his hands, but it wasn’t the trophy itself that mattered. It was the journey, the partnerships, and the people who stood with him in the winner’s circle.
– Tully Potts
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