David Elsworth

Last updated

David Elsworth
Occupation Trainer
Born Salisbury, Wiltshire
Major racing wins
British Classics wins: King George VI Chase (1986, 1988, 1989, 1990)
Grand National(1988)
Queen Mother Champion Chase 1990
International race wins: Irish Grand National (1990)
Irish 1000 Guineas (1990)
Significant horses
Desert Orchid, Rhyme 'n' Reason, Persian Punch, In the Groove

David Raymond Cecil Elsworth (born 1939) is a British retired horse trainer. He was the trainer of Desert Orchid, winning the King George VI Chase on four occasions, as well as the 1990 Cheltenham Gold Cup and Irish Grand National. He trained the 1988 Grand National winner Rhyme 'n' Reason, and 1990 Queen Mother Champion Chase winner Barnbrook Again. He was British jump racing Champion Trainer 1987–88.

Elsworth also had success on the flat, winning the 1990 Irish 1000 Guineas with In the Groove.

Life and career

David Elsworth was born and raised in Salisbury, Wiltshire. [1] [2] After leaving school aged 15, [1] he began his career as a stable lad for Alec Kilpatrick [3] at Richard Hannon racing, [1] before going on to be a professional jump jockey from 1957 to 1972. [4] He was aged 17 when he rode his first winner as a jockey in the Cowley Novices Hurdle onboard Rathrowan in October 1957. [1]

Whilst coming to the end of his jockey career, his training career started as an assistant to Ricky Vallance, at Bishops Cannings in Wiltshire. [4] When Vallance lost his training licence Elsworth took a job as a market trader before setting up as a trainer in his own right. [4] [5] He trained at Whitsbury, near Salisbury, where he trained horses for 25 years, [6] before moving to Egerton House Stables at Newmarket in 2006. [6] He was the trainer of Desert Orchid, winning the King George VI Chase on four occasions, [7] and the 1990 Cheltenham Gold Cup and Irish Grand National. [7] He trained the 1988 Grand National winner with Rhyme 'n' Reason, [7] and 1990 Queen Mother Champion Chase winner Barnbrook Again. [7]

He was British jump racing Champion Trainer 1987–88. [7]

Elsworth also had success on the flat, with Persian Punch, and won the 1990 Irish 1000 Guineas with In the Groove. [2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Shosha Adie (18 December 2021). "Horse racing legend David Elsworth looks back on career". salisburyjournal.co.uk. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
  2. 1 2 "Racing stats - Trainer Form - D R C Elsworth". channel4.com. 1 December 2006. Archived from the original on 1 December 2006.
  3. ↑ "'I'm all right. Sex four times a week helps' - the best David Elsworth quotes". racingpost.com. 16 December 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 "Elsworth Announces Retirement". timeform.com. 15 December 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
  5. ↑ David Ashforth (8 February 2017). "Newcomer a nod to Elsworth's past". Racing Post . Archived from the original on 11 February 2017.
  6. 1 2 Lee Mottershead (16 December 2021). "A racing legend retires: David Elsworth calls time on remarkable training career". racingpost.com. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 "Legendary trainer David Elsworth had few equals". racingtv.com. 5 December 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.