National Hunt jockey David John Burchell was born on March 24, 1968, the son of veteran Ebbw Vale trainer Dai Burchell. His riding career spanned almost 20 years between 1984 and 2003, during which time he rode more than 150 winners, the vast majority trained by his father.
Many of those wins were gained in selling or claiming hurdle company, because his father was – and still is – a maestro in getting the very best of moderate horses. However, there were some notable winners along the way. In the 1987/88 season they included Doncaster’s Sea Pigeon Handicap Hurdle and the Wolverhampton Trial Hurdle on Edward Hollister Owen’s Merry Junior and the Alfred McAlpine Minerals Handicap Hurdle on his father’s Springway Sidney.
The following season he won the Fred Rimell Hurdle on Merry Junior, beating the 13-2 on favourite Swingit Gunner, then followed up with a repeat victory in the Wolverhampton Trial Hurdle, beating another odds-on favourite in Cruising Altitude.
David rode a dozen winners in the 1989/90 season, the highlight being a treble at Perth on September 27, 1989 aboard three of his father’s string, Hot Company, Carrolls Grove and Gay Ruffian. He won another race on Gay Ruffian at Haydock later that term and the following season partnered him to victory in the Smurfit Paperboard Hurdle at Uttoxeter on Midlands National day. The next season, 1991/92, Gay Ruffian gave David a second success in the Fred Rimell Hurdle.
Gay Ruffian was moved to Martin Pipe’s yard for the 1992/93 season and sent novice chasing. However, the Burchell’s had a replacement on Pontynyswen, who won at Chepstow and then belied his 25-1 outsider status to finish third in the 1983 Swinton Hurdle at Haydock. Trainer and son gained compensation half an hour later when winning the New Florida Handicap Hurdle with Broom Isle. Pontynyswen gave David the biggest win of the 1993/94 campaign in the Trillium Handicap Hurdle at Ascot on April 6, 1994.
David enjoyed his most successful season in 1994/95 with a score of 15, beginning with victory on Forgetful in the Tennents Handicap Hurdle at Perth on September 21, 1994. On April 1, 1995 he registered a double at Newton Abbot, winning the William Hill Handicap Hurdle on Petitjean and the Squires Recruitment Handicap Chase on Pontynyswen, who followed up by winning at Worcester later that month.
David rode 10 winners during the 1996/97 season but thereafter his tallies declined to single figures. His last season in the saddle was 2002/03, during which he scored four times.
