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Leading Amateur David Maxwell Retires on Doctor’s Advice

Horse racing enjoys a distinctive place in the sporting world. Few other pursuits allow an amateur to lock horns with the professionals so frequently. Amateur footballers may line up against their idols in the occasional David vs Goliath cup clash, but in racing, anyone with an amateur’s licence may compete against the likes of Sean Bowen, Harry Cobden, and Harry Skelton in any given race.

Of course, it helps if you own the horses and can assign yourself to ride them. In recent years, no rider demonstrated this Corinthian spirit better than racing’s own David – David Maxwell.

Having made his fortune in property, Maxwell set about pursuing his lifelong passion for racing. However, all good things come to an end. Taking advice from his doctor, Maxwell announced his retirement from the saddle on Monday, 15th September 2025.

Fourth Broken Back and Injury Too Far

Doctor Examining Spine X-Ray

Maxwell’s decision stems from an injury sustained in the 2025 edition of the Foxhunters’ Chase at the Aintree Grand National Meeting. Taking a fall aboard Joker De Mai, Maxwell fractured a bone in his back – the fourth injury of that type in his career. Typifying Maxwell’s dedication to the sport, it was only following another ride over a month later that he realised the extent of his injury.

While the rider had previously bounced back from similar setbacks, Father Time catches up with us all – a fact Maxwell acknowledged:

“It’s a very difficult decision, and once the problem started to become evident, I went through all the stages of grief. It’s cumulative in the spine, really, and that’s where the tingling in the arm came from. When you’re in late middle age, you don’t heal as fast, if at all.”

A Winner on the Biggest Stages

David Maxwell has racing in his blood, with his father Jeremy having trained Rhyme ‘N’ Reason before his 1988 Grand National success for David Elsworth. However, he was relatively late to the jockey game. First taking to the saddle in his late 20s, his first winner under rules arrived during the 2009/10 season.

Over the subsequent years, Maxwell, in his distinctive red and brown silks, became a familiar sight at tracks both big and small. The 47-year-old retires with 76 wins from 390 rides in Britain and Ireland – a highly respectable 19.5% strike rate.

While Maxwell noted that “Any time you win a race is a good day,” the following victories stand out from the crowd:

Dolphin Square

Maxwell and Dolphin Square entered the winners’ enclosure 10 times between 2019 and 2022. The pick of those victories came at Cheltenham on New Year’s Day 2022. Dolphin Square had a mountain to climb in the straight but stayed on relentlessly under the Maxwell drive to claim the Paddy Power Handicap Hurdle. Wins at the home of the jumping game always taste that bit sweeter.

Bob And Co

Of Maxwell’s 76 British and Irish wins, only one came in Ireland. However, if you are only going to win one Irish event, you might as well make it a big one. Lining up in the 2021 Champion Hunters’ Chase at the Punchestown Festival, Maxwell faced some of the biggest names in the amateur game, including Patrick Mullins and Derek O’Connor. In a thrilling finale, Maxwell and Bob And Co got up in the shadow of the post to deny the Willie Mullins-trained Billaway.

Cat Tiger

While successful in Britain and Ireland, Maxwell’s highest-class win came in France. Having shelled out €180,000 to purchase Cat Tiger in November 2018, Maxwell took his new charge to Auteuil just six days later for the Grade 3 Prix Morgex. The pair immediately struck up a winning partnership to power to success by almost five lengths, and claim £577,743 in prize money.

Trainers’ Pay Tribute

Following the news of Maxwell’s retirement, the trainers with whom he was most associated were quick to pay tribute. Philip Hobbs, who provided Maxwell with 32 winners, said:

“He’s been great as an owner, jockey, and an ambassador to racing. It was always great seeing him interviewed on the TV. He was very capable, and he was the last of the Corinthians.”

Multiple champion trainer Paul Nicholls, who prepared Bob And Co and others for the enthusiastic amateur, noted:

“We had some amazing days, and he was a great supporter of the yard. He loved what he did, from buying the horses all the way through to riding them. He was a true amateur jockey, and he was great for jump racing too.”

What Next for Maxwell?

What lies next for Maxwell remains to be seen. However, having shed the jockey tag, he is unlikely to remain in the sport solely as an owner. That decision is no reflection on his love of the sport, as Maxwell explained:

“I hate watching other people riding my horses.”

Maxwell’s string of 15 to 20 horses is due to go under the hammer at a dispersal sale on 24th October. However, the two-time champion amateur was quick to state his desire to remain in the sport in some manner:

“When you love horses and have been involved in racing for as long as I have, you can’t not retain an interest in it. It’s a matter of finding how to do it without it driving me mad.”