David Matthews

David Matthews

Article by Alan Trout

David Donald Matthews enjoyed some success over jumps in the first half of the 1980s, ending his career with 22 wins, ten of them in one season alone. 

He started as a conditional jockey with Richard Holder, but it was for Cullompton trainer Mrs Angela Knight that he had his first winner when Fashion Princess led at the second last flight and held off the challenge of Oasis by a neck to land the Howard and Howard Life Pensions Ltd. Selling Hurdle at Devon & Exeter on Spring Bank Holiday Monday, May 27, 1991. This partly compensated for their previous outing at the same course three weeks earlier when the five-year-old fell two out when clear. 

It was not until the following January that David had his second success but there then followed seven within two months, all for Richard Holder. There were only two victories in 1992/93 but that was followed by his most successful campaign with ten wins, including nine in twelve weeks. Among them were four on Mrs Knight’s Handy Lass, making a transition from novice hurdler to success in handicap company. 

Sadly, David was unable to keep up the momentum and had only one win in each of the next two seasons. His final victory came at Plumpton on August 28, 1995, when the four-year-old Miss Mah-Jong beat two rivals to take the Slush Puppie Blue Raspberry Novices’ Handicap Hurdle by two and a half lengths. 

Miss Mah-Jong never ran again following her Plumpton victory, and despite having more than 20 rides that season, including three runner-up spots, David did not manage another winner and did not renew his licence the next season.

David Matthews’ winners were, in chronological order:

1. Fashion Princess, Devon & Exeter, May 27, 1991

2. Ballyanto, Chepstow, January 7, 1992

3. Va Lute, Wolverhampton, February 3, 1992

4. Sylvia Beach, Bangor-on-Dee, February 7, 1992

5. More By Luck, Hereford, February 10, 1992

6. Va Lute, Wincanton, February 20, 1992

7. Tomahawk, Nottingham, February 25, 1992

8. Tomahawk, Windsor, March 2, 1992

9. Ballyanto, Exeter, September 9, 1992

10. Amphigory, Exeter, September 16, 1992

11. Homemaker, Ludlow, October 7, 1993

12. Mathal, Stratford-on-Avon, October 16, 1993

13. Handy Lass, Exeter, November 2, 1993

14. Mathal, Taunton, November 11, 1993

15. Handy Lass, Hereford, November 17, 1993

16. Mathal, Taunton, December 9, 1993

17. Handy Lass, Exeter, December 15, 1993

18. Alice Smith, Ludlow, December 17, 1993

19. Sylvia Beach, Chepstow, December 28, 1993

20. Handy Las, Taunton, February 17, 1994

21. Nuin-Tara, Hereford, April 17, 1995

22. Miss Mah-Jong, Plumpton, August 28, 1995