David Chesney (Dr.)

Dr David Chesney was sometimes referred to as ‘The Flying Doctor’ by the racing press, given his considerable success in the saddle. He owned, trained and rode plenty of winners, riding out his claim while carrying out his main profession of medical duties, firstly in the Army and then in private practice.

David Chesney served with the Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) and rode his first winner under National Hunt rules on Blue Willie in the Ubique Maiden Hunters’ Chase at Sandown’s Royal Artillery meeting on April 9, 1969.

Riding as Captain Chesney, he struck up a good partnership with a staying hurdler named Snaggle Puss,  winning the 3m 1f Anthony Mildmay Amateur Riders’ Hurdle at Devon & Exeter on September 23, 1970. They made all the running to score twice over the same course and distance in August 1971, the first of those victories being in the Sir Reginald Leeds Challenge Trophy. David took out a trainer’s permit in 1972.

He’d attained the rank of Major by 1973, the year in which he took Sandown’s Grand Military meeting by storm, winning three of the four races restricted to soldier riders over the two-day fixture. Having won the Dick McCreery Cup Past and Present Handicap Chase on Toby Balding’s Frodo he owned, trained and rode Ziguenor to win the Grand Military Gold Cup on his one and only ride in that most prestigious of military contests. The following day he finished third in the Past and Present Hurdle and then won the Grand Military Hunters’ Chase on 6/5 favourite Upabit. He won again on Ziguenor at Wincanton in November that year.

Having left the services, he returned to Sandown’s Grand Military meeting in 1976 to win the Dick McCreery Cup Past and Present

Handicap Chase on Tenspir and the Past and Present Hurdle on the grey mare Forty Lines. That was one of four races in which he owned, trained and rode Forty Lines to victory that season, culminating in the Jay Trump Amateur Riders’ Handicap Hurdle at Aintree on Grand National day.

David switched Forty Lines to fences and rode her to win the Port Wine Novices’ Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day 1977. Another useful horse he owned and trained was Pitham, on whom he won six races over fences and hurdles, four of them during the 1982/83 campaign.

In 1985 he won the Dick McCreery Cup for a third time, on this occasion aboard Chelsea Island. 

One of the last winners he owned, trained and rode was Jimmy Edwards in a Taunton novices’ chase on November 20, 1986.

Having finished riding in races, he continued to own and train horses throughout the 1990s. His winners during that decade included novice hurdlers Cowden Cottage and Marksman Sparks, but the best was undoubtedly Billingsgate, whom he trained to win a ‘bumper’ in December 1996.

When David relinquished his permit in 2000, he sent Billingsgate to be trained by Philip Hobbs, who guided him to win three races, most notably Sandown’s Agfa Diamond Handicap Chase on February 2, 2002. It was perhaps appropriate that Dr David Chesney should achieve success as an owner in a big race at Sandown, the venue where he had won so many military races, including the Grand Military Gold Cup, the pinnacle of a soldier/rider’s ambitions.

David Chesney, from Charminster, Dorset, was born on 13 October, 1941.