David Cartwright 

David Cartwright was born on January 5, 1945, and lived at Hollyhead, Castle Morton, Malvern, Worcester.

He served a five-year apprenticeship with Jack Yeomans, who trained a small string of Flat and National Hunt horses at Upton-on-Severn.

At 15, David went straight there from school. He was 'on the small side' and had never ridden a horse, but liked the idea of being involved with racing.

He had his first ride at 16: in an eight-runner race at Lanark, he finished fourth which he thought at the time 'was not a bad start'.

His first winner came just a week later, Saturday May 6, 1961, on Peter Abelard at Hamilton.

David's weight increased and it was obvious that flat racing was no longer an option. He switched codes, and, when Jack Yeomans died in 1968, became a freelance, riding for such trainers as Stan Wright, Ronnie Holladay, Roy Whiston, Earl Jones and, significantly, Vernon (Charlie) Miller, trainer of Bighorn.

This was the horse that would give David his greatest moment in the saddle, in the 1971 Hennessy Gold Cup when coming home alone on Bighorn. 

Recalling that win he said: "There was only one way to ride the old fella. They made Spanish Steps the favourite, but he went at the fourteenth. David Nicholson, who was riding Tantalum, shouted at me to go on. I kept away from the inside rail which was fortunate as there was quite a bit of grief where Grey Sombrero came down and took Royal Toss with him. At the second-last I let Bighorn go, and it was all over."

Five years later, rising 13, Bighorn supplemented that success with a great 16th career win in the Dick Christian Handicap at Leicester. The horse suffered from corns and, in 1971, had his feet 'grooved', an operation from which it took 12 to 14 months to recover.

A crashing fall on Worldly Wise at Nottingham in May, 1973, in which he sustained two broken ribs, put him out for the season. The horse had slipped up on a bend when leading and the whole field had galloped over him.

In 1980, David became head groundsman at Wincanton racecourse where his role on race-days was to patrol the course in readiness to prevent accidents when a horse or jockey was prostrate on the ground.

He said of the course: "We try to make it a fair test. My philosophy is to present fences that both horse and jockey are aware of. The last thing I want is complaints about horses being on the floor."

David couldn't bear to watch on his first day in charge and hid behind the grandstand.

In 2001, the David Cartwright National Hunt Flat Race was run at Wincanton.

David rode a total of 265 winners, his best season being 1972-73 when he rode 43.

On June 20, 1970, he married Penelope Ann Munslow. She gave him a son, Richard, who later became a jockey.

A keen golfer with a handicap of eight, David also enjoyed a game of cricket.

David Cartwright

Big winners:

1971: Hennessy Gold Cup – Bighorn  

1973: Heinz Chase – Proper Charlie

1974: Mandarin Handicap Chase – Moonlight Escapade