IT was hunter chase night at Stratford last Friday week and, while he couldn’t ride at the fixture, following his fall at Auteuil earlier in the month, among those in attendance was David Maxwell who was crowned the gentlemen jockeys’ National Hunt champion.

The Downpatrick-born, London-based property investor ended the season with 18 wins to his credit, eight more than another Corinthian, Sam Waley-Cohen, who had two victories in hand over Co Galway native Tommie O’Brien. Kanturk’s Bryan Carver finished the campaign with seven wins to his name.