David Taylor

David Taylor

Article by Alan Trout

Like many other jockeys who rode soon after World War One, David Taylor had one good season and then struggled for success. He rode 32 winners on the Flat, with a best score of 18 in 1920. He later won seven races under National Hunt rules. 

He was apprenticed to Bob Armstrong, who was still training at Penrith when David had his first ride in public, finishing third of six on Marl in the Packington Handicap at Birmingham on April 22, 1919. His first success came at Carlisle on July 1 when Hectoring Lass won the three-runner Lowther Apprentice Plate by a length. Three more victories followed before the season ended.

But it was in 1920 that David appeared to be making real progress, registering three doubles at Scottish courses, two at Lanark and one at Bogside. Lanark only staged two two-day meetings each year, one in July, one in September. On the first day of its July meeting David won the Lowther Handicap on Dinah Dear and the Bonnington Selling Handicap on Nightmare, both trained by Bob Armstrong. 

On the second day of Lanark’s September meeting he landed the first two races on the card, beginning with the Lee Nursery Selling Handicap on Cosmopolitan, and then winning a match for the Jerviswood Maiden Handicap. In both cases the rider of the runner-up was an up-and-coming apprentice named Harry Wragg, who lost an iron in the match race and was beaten a length and a half.   

Thereafter David found winners hard to come by. Despite three wins in March 1921, including a double at Newcastle, he only managed eight that year, and the next two seasons brought a solitary success in each one. Doubtless losing his apprentice allowance after 1921 did not help. 

David Taylor’s final Flat win was on Brazel Bull in the Cuninghame Selling Handicap at Bogside on July 21, 1923. 

Soon after that he had his first ride under National Hunt rules, when Harry Lad was unplaced in the Farnsfield Hurdle at Southwell on September 3, 1923. It would be two years before he had his first success over jumps, but it finally came at Hexham on October 7, 1925, when Mac Sikkar took the last race of the afternoon, the Newbiggen Hurdle, beating Dunsmoore, the mount of Fairland Mason, by a length and a half. The first race of the following afternoon, at the same course, saw David double his score when Jacquot won the Petrel Hurdle by a length. 

Both of those winners were trained by James Gemmell, but it was leading Scottish trainer John Johnstone who supplied David with his third, for he both owned and trained Bank Holiday II, who took the Sedgefield Handicap Chase at that venue on March 23, 1926. At Carlisle 11 days later it was the turn of Speckled Band to come home for David in the Cummersdale Selling Handicap Hurdle, then on April 5, Bank Holiday II won for him again, this time in the Micklethwaiute Chase at Wetherby.

David registered a double at Hexham on Whit Monday, May 24, 1926, aboard Mac Sikkar in the Causey Hill Selling Hurdle and The Kaffir in the Dotland Handicap Chase. However, they proved to be the last two wins of his career. 

His last ride on the Flat at Bogside when Master Eric was slowly away and finished unplaced in the Gailes Maiden Plate on August 28, 1926.

His last over jumps was on Lucky Sam, unplaced in the Piercebridge Handicap Hurdle at Catterick Bridge on March 14, 1929.