Hanley, Dave

Cup, who, ironically, was beaten a neck by Nightingall’s horse Flag Staff, owned by Dorothy Paget.On October 19, 1945, Dave rode his first winner, on the two-year-old Shy Anitor, a horse trained by his father, gaining a head decision over Gordon Richards on the oddly-named Sfax at Worcester.

On February 16, 1946, he had his first success over hurdles, Duke’s Jester, at Windsor, also trained by his father.

Dave did his National Service with the R.A.V.C. and was demobbed in December 1948, having served two years. Although tall, he had no difficulty in going to scale at ten stone. He assisted his father in the training of the horses and thus did not have opportunities as a jockey that his abilities deserved.

The hurdler On End was Dave’s flag bearer for the 1951/52 season, providing him with all his three wins, at Plumpton, Wye and Huntingdon. On End also gave him a flying start to 1952/53, winning at Newton Abbot on the second day of the season. His three other wins that term came courtesy of Amber King at Plumpton in September and a Fontwell handicap hurdle double on March 24 aboard Prince Peridarchus and Wit’s End.

Another good start to the next season, including a brace of wins on four-year-old hurdler Shako at Plumpton and Cheltenham, saw Dave end the 1953/54 campaign with six winners.

Juvenile hurdler Double Tartan provided another early flourish when winning at Folkestone and Fontwell in September 1956. Later in the season Dave scored twice on Gudmenarmist at Sandown and Hurst Park. He also rode that horse in the 1957 Imperial Cup but finished unplaced.

Dave’s final season in the saddle was 1957/58, during which he rode two winners from 21 rides, both of them being on Royalist of Chantry at Plumpton on March 24 and at the West Norfolk Hunt (now Fakenham) meeting on Saturday, May 10, 1958.

Having assisted his father for many years, Dave took over the training operation in 1960 and went on to enjoy a great deal of success in valuable handicaps from his base at Ermin Stables, Lambourn Woodlands, in Berkshire.

Marcher was his first good horse, winning both the Wokingham and the Portland Handicap in 1963. Big Hat sprang a 40/1 shock when winning the 1969 Ebor under Ray Still, while Lottogift landed the 1975 Cambridgeshire and the following year’s Bunbury Cup. Other big handicaps to come his way included York’s Senior Service Trophy (Weeper’s Boy, 1965) and the Newbury Spring Cup (Emerilo, 1969). He also trained several winners in France and USA.

Dave Hanley died on June 2, 2008, aged 79, leaving a wife, Margaret, of 56 years and three children. His daughter Sue said: “He loved life and lived every minute to the full.”