Newly-licensed trainer Khamoal Nichol did not need a long time to announce himself.

Thirty-two years after his stepfather Garfield Gordon first took him to the racetrack as a boy, Nichol saddled his first winner on Saturday, October 31, 2026 when KP Choice, under champion jockey Raddesh Roman, bolted to a 2 3/4-length victory in the Howard Abrahams Sprint Trophy at Caymanas Park.

The five-furlong (1,000m) round Optional Claiming ($350,000-$250,000) event for three-year-olds and upward was stopped in 1:02.2, with Boasey (Samantha Fletcher) second and Grey Commander (Daniel Thompson) third.

But the time and margin told only half the story. The story was the man in the winners’ enclosure fighting for words.

“Well, right now, words can’t explain how I feel really,” Nichol said, his voice cracking with elation and disbelief.

“It’s been a very long time. I’ve been here from 1994… Due to work and stuff like that, we never get the opportunity to be this far. But it is time and God and I appreciate everything that happened today (Saturday),” Nichol told the Jamaica Observer’s The Supreme Racing Guide.

It was, in truth, a lifetime in the making.

Nichol was first an owner. In 2015 he owned Cold Ground and then Winnesia — and won with his first two starters. That early taste of victory kept him close, hovering around the barns, watching.

PLAYTIME! Trainer Khamoal Nichol shares a light-hearted moment with his charge KP Choice (Raddesh Roman) after winning the Howard Abrahams Sprint Trophy at Caymanas Park on Saturday, October 31, 2026. (Photo: Garfield Robinson)

But watching wasn’t enough.

“Due to some little issues at the track where sometimes I’m not satisfied, some things that would be done to the animal and the result that I get, I decide that we’re going to move forward,” he said candidly.

The opportunity came through the stewards Paul Ramsey and Alicia Lindo when they invited Nichol to the hybrid licensing class – part online, part in-person, four days a week.

He thought he was ready. He had been around the maestros — Robert Darby Sr, Tensang Chung, and others.

He thought he knew it all.

“I thought I knew it all being around those guys. But as soon as I go in that classroom, then I realised I don’t know nothing at all about horses,” he admitted.

“That’s where I learned the ins and outs, the anatomy, the nutrition, learned how to know your horses individually. So if something was to happen with the horse, definitely you would pick it up right away,” Nichol added.

KP Choice (Raddesh Roman) easily wins the Howard Abrahams Sprint Trophy on Saturday, October 31, 2026, giving trainer Khamoal Nichol his first career win. (Photo: Garfield Robinson)

On Saturday, he knew KP Choice was right. The self-described “vibes man” — who confessed he “got trouble in class regularly” — said he needed this one. Money Box was supposed to be his first winner, but a “little miss-up” forced him to “wheel and come again”.

He wheeled with KP Choice, a horse he clearly adores.

“If I never kicked this ball firm today, I would be in a lot of trouble. KP Choice is such a tough, great horse and I love him so much. I do a lot of work on him,” said Nichol, who currently has only two horses in his barn.

Nichol did not shy away from his ambition, giving special thanks to Omar Williams for practical drilling and Lorne Kirlew for fatherly guidance.

“To be honest, I never get the chance to really be around the bigger trainers that win titles, and stuff like that. But I want to give Omar Williams a special shout-out. He’s always there for me, throughout my practical, he was always there for me. He drilled me a lot. Also mention to Lorne Kirlew, I am telling you he’s like a father to me. So those two trainers are the two main trainers,” Nichol affirmed.

Then he looked beyond Saturday.

“Yes, I am looking forward to more owners, more material to work along with, and sky’s the limit from there,” he said.

“As soon as the material come I’ll show you on the track, but hoping to win the big prizes, the Derby, the Mouttet Mile, you name it. I want to be there like the big guys, win championships, all of the good races, and sky’s the limit,” Nichol ended.