Born on June 19, 1999 in Kildare, Ireland, David Egan is the son of jockey John Egan and trainer Sandra Hughes, the grandson of trainer Dessie Hughes and the nephew of jockey Richard Hughes. He grew up in his native land, where he competed in pony racing from an early age and rode out for his grandfather and, later, Rathbride trainer Willie McCreery during weekends and school holidays. He also rode out for David Elsworth when on holiday in Britain but, in 2015, made a permanent move across the Irish Sea to live with his father.
Egan attended the British Racing School in Newmarket and subsequently became apprenticed to Roger Varian at Kremlin House Stables on the Fordham Road. He rode his first winner, Etienne Gerard, trained by Nigel Tinkler, in an apprentice handicap at Windsor on July 4, 2016. Egan rode just seven winners in his inaugural year, but in 2017 upped his annual tally to 61 winners, including 53 in the qualifying period for the apprentices’ championship, which were sufficient to give him the title, albeit by just a single winner from his nearest rival, Kieran Shoemark.
Egan rode out his remaining 3lb claim on Keeper’s Choice, trained by Denis Coakley, in a handicap at Newbury on June 14, 2018. At that stage, he said, “It’s great. Hopefully we will keep things rolling over now I’ve lost the claim as that is what every apprentice looks for. I’ve got great people supporting me to help bring me to the next level.” On August 2, 2018, Egan rode his first Pattern winner, Pilaster, trained by Varian, in the Group 2 Lillie Langtry Stakes at Goodwood.
In 2019, Egan, 20, signed a retainer with prominent Saudi Arabian owner Prince Abdul Rahman Abdullah Faisal, took his first ride in a British Classic – finishing third in the 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket on Qabala, trained by Varian – and rode his first Royal Ascot winner, Daahyeh, also trained by Varian, in the Albany Stakes.
In 2021, Egan completed a notable double on Mishriff, owned by Prince Faisal and trained by John Gosden, winning the most valuable race in the world, the Saudi Cup, at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in February and the Dubai Sheema Classic at Meydan, Dubai in March. He lost his retainer in July 2022 but, riding freelance, he won the St. Leger Stakes at Doncaster on Eldar Eldarov, trained by Varian, later that year and the Irish equivalent on the same horse in 2023. In December 2023, he replaced Kevin Stott as first-choice jockey to Amo Racing, and so began a lucrative association that was extended twice in 2025, to the end of 2026 and, again, to the end of 2028.