David Hood
Jump jockey David Graham William Hood was born on August 9, 1967, the son of former amateur rider Graham Hood, who rode in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
Jump jockey David Graham William Hood was born on August 9, 1967, the son of former amateur rider Graham Hood, who rode in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
David spent two and a half years as a conditional jockey with Stan Mellor and rode his first winner on Super Grass, trained by Mellor, in a conditional jockeys’ novices’ hurdle on Railfreight World Jockeys Day at Cheltenham on April 11, 1985. He rode five winners the following season.
David spent two and a half years as a conditional jockey with Stan Mellor and rode his first winner on Super Grass, trained by Mellor, in a conditional jockeys’ novices’ hurdle on Railfreight World Jockeys Day at Cheltenham on April 11, 1985. He rode five winners the following season.
He later rode as a conditional for David Murray-Smith at Lambourn and then for Philip Hobbs at Minehead. His four winners in the 1987/88 campaign, all for Hobbs, included three on Linacre Bridge, notably the Lilo Lumb Challenge Cup Handicap Chase at Wincanton on January 14, 1988. The following season he won back-to-back races on Hobbs’ four-year-old hurdler Freemantle at Taunton and Worcester.
He later rode as a conditional for David Murray-Smith at Lambourn and then for Philip Hobbs at Minehead. His four winners in the 1987/88 campaign, all for Hobbs, included three on Linacre Bridge, notably the Lilo Lumb Challenge Cup Handicap Chase at Wincanton on January 14, 1988. The following season he won back-to-back races on Hobbs’ four-year-old hurdler Freemantle at Taunton and Worcester.
David enjoyed his best season in 1989/90 with eight wins. For four days at the start of that season, he headed the jockeys’ table alongside Peter Scudamore, courtesy of a Newton Abbot double on July 31 aboard two Philip Hobbs-trained horses, selling chaser Skipping Tim and Le Carotte, who landed the Rugantino Challenge Cup Handicap Hurdle. His third win of the campaign came on Hobbs’ selling hurdler Rosoglio at Devon & Exeter on August 16, his fourth on handicap chaser Broad Beam at Worcester on September 23. He won a pair of handicap hurdles on Moody Man at Haydock and Newton Abbot in December. His last winner of that season came courtesy of Webbs Wonder in the Bob Cratchit Novices’ Hurdle at Warwick on December 29, 1989.
David enjoyed his best season in 1989/90 with eight wins. For four days at the start of that season, he headed the jockeys’ table alongside Peter Scudamore, courtesy of a Newton Abbot double on July 31 aboard two Philip Hobbs-trained horses, selling chaser Skipping Tim and Le Carotte, who landed the Rugantino Challenge Cup Handicap Hurdle. His third win of the campaign came on Hobbs’ selling hurdler Rosoglio at Devon & Exeter on August 16, his fourth on handicap chaser Broad Beam at Worcester on September 23. He won a pair of handicap hurdles on Moody Man at Haydock and Newton Abbot in December. His last winner of that season came courtesy of Webbs Wonder in the Bob Cratchit Novices’ Hurdle at Warwick on December 29, 1989.
David’s last season with a licence was 1990/91. The following year he joined William Hill and rose to become its sponsorship and public relations director. He introduced a number of new and creative innovations into the business and encouraged the expansion of the bookmaker’s sponsorship portfolio. His initiatives included ‘greyhound versus horse’ and ‘greyhound versus pigeon’ contests to promote his company’s sponsorship of the Greyhound Derby. However, his public antipathy towards betting exchanges did not always endear him to some within the sport.
David’s last season with a licence was 1990/91. The following year he joined William Hill and rose to become its sponsorship and public relations director. He introduced a number of new and creative innovations into the business and encouraged the expansion of the bookmaker’s sponsorship portfolio. His initiatives included ‘greyhound versus horse’ and ‘greyhound versus pigeon’ contests to promote his company’s sponsorship of the Greyhound Derby. However, his public antipathy towards betting exchanges did not always endear him to some within the sport.
David left William Hill in July 2010 after 18 years with the company. He is now director of Sportsmad Media Limited and also a director of Habitus Leisure Limited.
David left William Hill in July 2010 after 18 years with the company. He is now director of Sportsmad Media Limited and also a director of Habitus Leisure Limited.