Born in St. Asaph in Denbighshire, North East Wales on July 8, 1972, David Harrison graduated from the British Racing School in Newmarket and subsequently became apprenticed to William Hastings-Bass, latterly Lord Huntingdon, in West Isley, Berkshire, with whom he had previously gained three months’ work experience. Fittingly, for a Welshman, he rode his first winner, Majestic Image, trained by Hastings-Bass, at Southwell on March 1, 1991.
After riding 14 winners in 1991, including the first of 27 in the colours of the late Queen Elizabeth II that he would ride during his career, Harrison rode a further 56 winners in 1992, which was sufficient to win the apprentices’ title. As a fully-fledged professional, he enjoyed his most successful season on British soil in 1994, when he rode 71 winners from 611 rides, at a strike rate of 12%.
Harrison never won a domestic Group 1 race, but did ride Single Empire, trained by Peter Chapple-Hyam, to victory in the Derby Italiano at Campanelle, Italy in 1997, along with Holy Grail, trained by Ivan Allan, in the Hong Kong Derby at Sha Tin, Hong Kong in 1999 and Arctic Owl, trained by James Fanshawe, at the Curragh, Ireland in 2000. All told, he rode a total of 28 Listed and Pattern race winners worldwide.
After 11 years as a jockey, Harrison suffered serious neck and back injuries, necessitating a stay in intensive care, when his mount, My Chief, clipped heels in a race at Sha Tin, Hong on May 30, 2001 and took an horrific fall. The incident ended his riding career, but Harrison recovered sufficiently to return to racing as a jockeys’ agent some years later.
He was to ride a further 26 in the royal colours including Colour Sergeant in the Royal Hunt Cup, her first Royal Ascot winner for 25 years.
