David Wilkinson
Article by Chris Pitt
Article by Chris Pitt
Northern National Hunt jockey David Wilkinson was born on May 19, 1957 and served his apprenticeship with Sally Hall at Middleham. He rode his first winner on only his second ride in public, on Hall’s novice hurdler Queen’s Melody at Wetherby on Whit Monday, May 31, 1976.
Northern National Hunt jockey David Wilkinson was born on May 19, 1957 and served his apprenticeship with Sally Hall at Middleham. He rode his first winner on only his second ride in public, on Hall’s novice hurdler Queen’s Melody at Wetherby on Whit Monday, May 31, 1976.
He failed to ride a winner the following season and had only seven more over the course of the next two, but he enjoyed a fruitful campaign in 1980/81 with a total of 19 victories.
He failed to ride a winner the following season and had only seven more over the course of the next two, but he enjoyed a fruitful campaign in 1980/81 with a total of 19 victories.
Riding mainly for Sally Hall, he registered a double on two of her novice hurdlers, Kindred and Gallic-Saint at Ayr on November 21. Country Walk got him off to a good start for December, winning at Wetherby on the second of the month, then handicap hurdler Fogbound won at Sedgefield on December 12. The following day, Kindred won again, at Catterick this time, resulting in David losing his 7lb claim. However, that proved no imposition as he recorded another double, at Kelso on December 15, on the Graham Lockerbie-trained Thomsons Policy and Roy Johnson’s Raemac. Kindred won for a third time on Boxing Day and all looked set fair for the year ahead.
Riding mainly for Sally Hall, he registered a double on two of her novice hurdlers, Kindred and Gallic-Saint at Ayr on November 21. Country Walk got him off to a good start for December, winning at Wetherby on the second of the month, then handicap hurdler Fogbound won at Sedgefield on December 12. The following day, Kindred won again, at Catterick this time, resulting in David losing his 7lb claim. However, that proved no imposition as he recorded another double, at Kelso on December 15, on the Graham Lockerbie-trained Thomsons Policy and Roy Johnson’s Raemac. Kindred won for a third time on Boxing Day and all looked set fair for the year ahead.
It got off to a perfect start when his first ride of 1981, Fogbound at Catterick on New Year’s Day, came with a strong run to get up close home. Later that same afternoon, he looked to have completed his third double in little over a month when scoring an easy four-length victory on 13-8 favourite Raemac, supplementing their Kelso victory the previous month. However, they were disqualified because David forgot to weigh in. The stewards fined him £40 for failing to do so.
It got off to a perfect start when his first ride of 1981, Fogbound at Catterick on New Year’s Day, came with a strong run to get up close home. Later that same afternoon, he looked to have completed his third double in little over a month when scoring an easy four-length victory on 13-8 favourite Raemac, supplementing their Kelso victory the previous month. However, they were disqualified because David forgot to weigh in. The stewards fined him £40 for failing to do so.
Fortunately, this aberration was soon forgotten and David was straight back
Fortunately, this aberration was soon forgotten and David was straight back
in the winning grove, scoring on Sally Hall’s Caroline Lamb (right) at Stockton on January 6, Open Doors at Catterick on January 24, Fogbound at Catterick on January 28, and finally Snow Blessed – affording a degree of compensation for trainer Roy Johnson – at Ayr on January 30, to complete an overall good first month of 1981, the New Year’s Day incident apart. It was a lesson learned and he never made such a mistake again.
in the winning grove, scoring on Sally Hall’s Caroline Lamb (right) at Stockton on January 6, Open Doors at Catterick on January 24, Fogbound at Catterick on January 28, and finally Snow Blessed – affording a degree of compensation for trainer Roy Johnson – at Ayr on January 30, to complete an overall good first month of 1981, the New Year’s Day incident apart. It was a lesson learned and he never made such a mistake again.
In 1985, David rode Chris Thornton’s 200-1 outsider Greenhill Hall in the Grand National. The horse was a complete no-hoper and was tailed off at halfway before David pulled him up before the first fence second time round, but at least he gave his rider a safe journey round for a circuit. That was the only occasion he rode in the world’s most famous steeplechase.
In 1985, David rode Chris Thornton’s 200-1 outsider Greenhill Hall in the Grand National. The horse was a complete no-hoper and was tailed off at halfway before David pulled him up before the first fence second time round, but at least he gave his rider a safe journey round for a circuit. That was the only occasion he rode in the world’s most famous steeplechase.
David continued to ply his trade around the northern tracks during the remainder of the 1980s and first half of the 1990s, averaging seven or eight winners a season and never emulating the total he’d reached as a conditional in that 1980/81 campaign.
David continued to ply his trade around the northern tracks during the remainder of the 1980s and first half of the 1990s, averaging seven or eight winners a season and never emulating the total he’d reached as a conditional in that 1980/81 campaign.
His last four years in the saddle produced 23 winners, the final one being Kittochside Lad in a Sedgefield novices’ selling hurdle on Friday, March 29, 1996. He retired at the end of that season, bringing to an end a 20-year career in which he rode a total of 110 winners.
His last four years in the saddle produced 23 winners, the final one being Kittochside Lad in a Sedgefield novices’ selling hurdle on Friday, March 29, 1996. He retired at the end of that season, bringing to an end a 20-year career in which he rode a total of 110 winners.