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David Vaughan Skyrme was born in Chipping Norton on October 24, 1966. His father, Barrie Kenneth Vaughan Skyrme, rode as a National Hunt jockey for five seasons in the first half of the 1960s, achieving his sole victory on Herdswick for trainer Jack Maguire at Wincanton on September 26, 1963. David was far more successful.
He started out as an apprentice with Jeremy Tree but rising weight dictated his future lay over jumps. He rode his first winner on Celtic Flame, trained by Peter Harris, in a Wetherby bumper on October 16, 1985.
He scored his first big race win as a 7lb claimer on Merry Jane, trained by Edward Hollister Owen, in the Fred Rimell Hurdle at Hereford on February 4, 1987. However, he achieved by far his biggest success, still claiming 7lb, on Acarine, trained by Peter Harris, in the Charisma Gold Cup at Kempton on October 15, 1988.
The following month he rode the Harris-trained chaser Landing Board to victories at Newbury and Plumpton, and won the Hawkes Bay Trophy Handicap Chase at Stratford, on Winsor Bond for Henley-in-Arden trainer John Bukovets. Then in December he won the Number Engaged Challenge Bowl Chase at Folkestone on Celtic Flame.
David made a flying start to the 1989/90 season with three wins on the bounce during August on John White’s chaser Brinkwater, culminating the ‘Plum Jam’ Handicap Chase at Plumpton on August Bank Holiday Monday. During September and October he won three chases on Buckfast Abbey for Peter Harris, including the Studd Challenge Cup at Cheltenham and the Ferry Boat Handicap Chase at Kempton. He also won on Landing Board at Cheltenham in October.
He achieved a career-best score of 18 wins in the 1990/91 season They included a second successive Ferry Boat Chase on Buckfast Abbey. Sadly, on their next start in the Mackeson Gold Cup, Buckfast Abbey was fatally injured when falling three out when lying in second place and holding every chance.
Later that season, David won the Burnt Oak & Special Cargo Novices’ Chase at Sandown on Naatell for Dorchester trainer Nick Mitchell, following up next time out in the Heavitree Brewery Challenge Cup at Devon & Exeter.
Brinkwater gave David another good start to the 1991/92 season with two Plumpton victories in August including a repeat success in the ‘Plum Jam’ Handicap Chase, but he was unable to equal his score of the previous season. He rode just eight winners in the 1992/93 season.
The best horse David rode over the next three seasons was Mick Haynes’ hurdler Kingsfold Pet. He won a Lingfield novices’ handicap hurdle on him in March 1994, then won four handicap hurdles on the bounce during the 1994/95 season at Huntingdon, Fontwell, Lingfield and Newbury. In March 1996 they won a pair of valuable handicap hurdles at Newbury, two of David’s eleven winners that season.
He registered just two wins for the 1996/97 campaign and retired before the end of that season, having ridden a total of 97 winners during his career.
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