18/07/2026
Sunday,19 July 2026
Nestor Enjoying Best Of Both Worlds With Dual Role (Gunnedah Monday)
⌨️www.racingnsw.com.au
By Ray Hickson
Kody Nestor has been a jockey then a trainer then back to a jockey and now he’s both as he looks to once again move back into the training ranks.
Earlier this year the 36-year-old quietly took out a dual license, enabling him to both ride and train, and has already produced a couple of winners from limited runners.
He’ll partner the latest of those winners when he rides Lady Lilibet in the Pursehouse Rural Gunnedah Plate (2150m) on Monday.
Weight issues saw Nestor give up riding in 2017 but he returned to the caper four years later after training 107 winners.
“I had a few clients who had some horses and they didn’t know what to do with them so I pushed for a dual license,’’ Nestor said.
“I only have a handful of horses in work at the moment, it’s only a hobby, but I’ll transition back to full time training toward the end of the year.
“You work bloody hard having to do both jobs but it’s very rewarding. While I’m fit and healthy and my weight is okay I’ll pursue riding.”
Nestor’s first runner as a dual license holder was back in April, he rode Territory Style in a maiden at Wellington and a couple of weeks later he partnered the same horse to victory at Narromine.
He rode Lady Lilibet in her first run for him but Jake Pracey-Holmes did the steering in her two subsequent starts including her win at Dubbo last weekend.
The mare was handed to Nestor by John Ramsey hoping to place her better in the central districts and so far that’s proven to be a good move.
“He was finding her a little hard to place over in the Hunter, she goes okay but she’s limited,’’ he said.
“She can stay a bit and we knocked over a maiden the other day.
“It’s been hard finding the right races, I had to keep her fresh for the mile the other day and back her up into this race.
“I gave her a bit of work the other morning and she came through it in good order.”
Whether Nestor’s next foray into full time training will be a permanent one remains to be seen, he says he loves the life of a jockey. When he’s fit.
But when you put the work in to preparation a horse for a race and delivers a win he said it’s a little bit special.
“When the body is good and the weight is good there’s no better job. When it’s not that good it’s a tough job,’’ he said.
“It’s a different feeling when you ride one that you train. You put a lot of time into it – any trainer will tell you that – and to have that experience of riding and training it gives you more satisfaction I suppose.
“Don’t get me wrong, when you get beaten on them you’ve got no-one else to blame.”
