David James Thomas was born in 1942. He began a seven-year apprenticeship with Newmarket trainer Ryan Jarvis in 1958, aged 16. He rode his first winner on Peaceful Zephyr in the Gamlingay Apprentices’ Nursery Handicap at Newmarket on October 14, 1958, one of just three mounts he had that season.
He rode in 16 races in 1959, winning two, both Newmarket apprentice contests, on Fine Wine in May and Nereides in July. He again won two races from 19 rides in 1960, including in non-apprentice company on Elsie D. in a Pontefract three-year-old selling handicap.
Having failed to score in 1961, David returned to winning ways in 1962 with four victories, including two on one of the best horses he rode in public, Sagely, in apprentice races at Newmarket and Ascot.
His most successful year was 1963, during which he rode ten winners, all bar two of them for Ryan Jarvis. They were headed by Arabian Chief in the valuable Eglinton Apprentice Handicap at York’s Dante meeting. He won twice on Quoit, including a rare apprentices’ race for two-year-olds at Newmarket in August.
David kicked off the 1964 Flat season by winning on Sagely at Lincoln’s opening fixture (right). With four wins on the board by the end of May he looked on course to post a career-best score, but before the season was through he’d left for Pakistan, where he stayed for nine months and rode 13 winners at Lahore and Karachi.
Although the Pakistan venture was a success, he struggled to make his mark when renewing his association with Ryan Jarvis in 1965. With his apprenticeship at an end and devoid of a claim, by mid-September he’d had only half a dozen rides since his return to Britain. He finally ended the drought on September 18 when winning the 1m 2f Burley Gate Plate at Worcester on the Jarvis-trained Pretty Story. That, however, turned out to be David’s last winning ride in Britain. He did not renew his licence the following season.
David Thomas’s winners included (list not complete):
Peaceful Zephyr, Newmarket, October 14, 1958
Fine Wine, Newmarket, May 1, 1959
Nereides, Newmarket, July 2, 1959
Elsie D., Pontefract, August 3, 1960
Sagely, Newmarket, May 19, 1962
Mack The Knife, Warwick, August 27, 1962
Sagely, Ascot, September 27, 1962
Arabian Chief, York, May 15, 1963
Perdition, Newmarket, June 15, 1963
King’s Law, Folkestone, July 22, 1963
Quoit, Newmarket, August 9, 1963
Packfong, Pontefract, August 31, 1963
Master Mariner, Edinburgh, September 17, 1963
Quoit, Brighton, September 19, 1963
Dicentra, Pontefract, September 26, 1963
Gambling Debt, Haydock Park, October 5, 1963
Sagely, Lincoln, March 18, 1964
Quoit, Sandown Park, April 24, 1964
Loyal Monarch, Warwick, May 2, 1964
Tanisia, Thirsk, May 30, 1964
Pretty Story, Worcester, September 18, 1965