Young mum Nikita Beriman has made a superb return to riding on the Sunshine Coast

Three years after vowing she’d never return to race riding, group 1-winning hoop and new mum Nikita Beriman has made a stunning return to the saddle.

Nikita Beriman (pictured at Caulfield in 2019) has ridden three winners and eight placings in her first 24 rides at the Sunshine Coast. Picture: George Salpigtidis

Group 1-winning hoop Nikita Beriman has made an incredible return to race riding after three years out of the saddle.

Following a series of setbacks and hip displacements, the now 36-year-old retired from race riding in September 2019.

After giving birth, Beriman found herself back in racing working as the lead trainer for Michelle Payne’s Sunshine Coast satellite stable.

“I honestly had no intentions of ever coming back to riding, I retired and had a strong belief that if you have kids you shouldn’t come back which also caused me to sell all of my gear,” she said.

“The opportunity with Michelle seemed really good for myself and my daughter at that time but it ended up being too time consuming and I was missing out on being a mother.

“I had to make the decision to quit Michelle’s and took up a track riding job with Nat McCall which is when I really realised I never lost the love of racing or the love of the animal.”

Nikita Beriman with her daughter Ella. Picture Racing Queensland

She said her maturity and increased knowledge was a driving factor behind her recent success.

“I gave my body a good rest and really learnt a lot and matured a lot by seeing the other side of the racing industry,” she said.

“I didn’t realise or understand how much work actually goes into preparing a horse prior to them showing up and after the races.

“There’s so many one-percenters that people don’t see and I’ve taken a lot of that on board because I truly know now that it’s not as simple as getting on and getting off a horse.”

From her first 24 rides at the Sunshine Coast, Beriman has recorded three winners and eight placings.

Beriman, who walks around at 50.5kg, still rides six days a week for McCall and said she would ride at Friday, Saturday and Sunday meetings.

“I’m not here to break any records or win any premierships, I literally wanted to come back because I want to put a big swimming pool in my front yard which is going to cost me,” she said.

“I’ve also enrolled my daughter into private school which is expensive too so they’re the ulterior motives.

“I’m back riding because I enjoy it but my priorities lie with being a mother to my two-year-old daughter and that will always be my case.”

Originally published as Young mum Nikita Beriman has made a superb return to riding on the Sunshine Coast