Francis Leonard Wootton (14 December 1893 – 6 April 1940), known as "Frank" or "Frankie", and sometimes referred to as "The Wonderboy", was an Australian
horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...
jockey
A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...
who had great success as a
teenager
Adolescence () is a transitional stage of physical and psychological development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age of majority). Adolescence is usually associated with the te ...
in the
Edwardian era
The Edwardian era or Edwardian period of British history spanned the reign of King Edward VII, 1901 to 1910 and is sometimes extended to the start of the First World War. The death of Queen Victoria in January 1901 marked the end of the Victori ...
when he was
British champion for four successive years.
Early life
He was born in Australia, the eldest son of
Richard Wootton, a "tall, dark-visaged, hard-bitten Australian".
[ His brother was ]Stanley
Stanley may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Film and television
* ''Stanley'' (1972 film), an American horror film
* ''Stanley'' (1984 film), an Australian comedy
* ''Stanley'' (1999 film), an animated short
* ''Stanley'' (1956 TV series) ...
, another jockey, and later, trainer and jockey coach. The boys were subjected to a very strict regime during their youth; their father was determined they would become jockeys and allegedly denied them food.
Richard was sure Frank was ready to race ride from the age of 9, but Australian Jockey Club
Australian Turf Club (ATC) owns and operates thoroughbred racing, events and hospitality venues across Sydney, Australia. The ATC came into being on 7 February 2011 when the Australian Jockey Club (AJC) and the Sydney Turf Club (STC) merged. The ...
rules prohibited it. Thus, the Wootton family, together with another young prospective jockey, Bill "Midge" McLachlan,[ relocated to ]South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
where age restrictions did not apply.
Riding career
Frank was successful in South Africa immediately. His first victory was at Turffontein
Turffontein is a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa. It is located in Region F of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality.
History
Prior to the discovery of gold on the Witwatersrand in 1886, the suburb lay on land on one of the orig ...
, still only aged nine, in October 1903.[ In fact, the two Wootton brothers, along with McLachlan, were, for a short time, to dominate South African racing.][ Briefly in 1906, the Woottons moved back to Australia, but Frank was still too young for a jockey's ]licence
A license (or licence) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit).
A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...
, so the family relocated again to Epsom, Surrey
Epsom is the principal town of the Borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England, about south of central London. The town is first recorded as ''Ebesham'' in the 10th century and its name probably derives from that of a Saxon landowner. ...
in 1906, where Richard had plans to set up a jockey academy.
After the move to England, Wootton was quick to pick up where he had left off in South Africa, getting his first win aged just 13. In 1908, he rode seven winners at the St. Leger
The St Leger Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Doncaster over a d ...
meeting. By the age of 16 he was the youngest-ever champion jockey, having also won his first classic, the Oaks, on Perola. The next year he retained his title, having teamed up with what he considered the best horse he ever rode – the St. Leger
The St Leger Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Doncaster over a d ...
and Eclipse
An eclipse is an astronomical event that occurs when an astronomical object or spacecraft is temporarily obscured, by passing into the shadow of another body or by having another body pass between it and the viewer. This alignment of three ce ...
winner Swynford
Swynford (January 1907 – 18 May 1928) was a British Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse. Bred at the Frederick Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby, 16th Lord Derby's stud in Lincolnshire, England he was sired by John O'Gaunt (horse), John O'Gaunt, a so ...
.[ Now in his teens, he was showing what was called "miraculous dash and skill".][ He mainly rode in the cerise, gold and blue silks of his father, or the pale blue and maize hoops of owner Edward Hulton.][
Wootton retained the title in each of the next two years. By then though, he had grown and was beginning to struggle with his weight. He also had a motorbike accident on Epsom Downs, slightly fracturing his collarbone.][ Rumours of imminent ]retirement
Retirement is the withdrawal from one's position or occupation or from one's active working life. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours or workload.
Many people choose to retire when they are elderly or incapable of doing their j ...
began to start circulating in 1912, accompanied by denials from Wootton himself.[ When he could meet the weight, though, he was still winning races. He rode 10 winners at ]Glorious Goodwood
Goodwood Racecourse is a horse-racing track five miles north of Chichester, West Sussex, in England controlled by the family of the Duke of Richmond, whose seat is nearby Goodwood House. It hosts the annual Glorious Goodwood meeting in late ...
in 1911, seven winners at Royal Ascot
Ascot Racecourse ("ascot" pronounced , often pronounced ) is a dual-purpose British racecourse, located in Ascot, Berkshire, England, which is used for thoroughbred horse racing. It hosts 13 of Britain's 36 annual Flat Group 1 horse races and ...
in 1912 and in one particular week in August 1913, he rode eight consecutive winners.[
By the end of 1913, however, the strain of keeping his weight down had become too much and Wootton all but retired.][ He took to training a few lower-grade horses][ but his burgeoning training career was curtailed by the advent of ]World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
during which he served with the British Expeditionary Force in Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia ''Mesopotamíā''; ar, بِلَاد ٱلرَّافِدَيْن or ; syc, ܐܪܡ ܢܗܪ̈ܝܢ, or , ) is a historical region of Western Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the F ...
, where he managed to race as well.["Occasionally race meetings were planned and the various divisions would send representatives. Frank Wooton , the well-known jockey, was a despatch-rider, and usually succeeded in getting leave enough to allow him to ride some general's horses." ''War in the Garden of Eden'', by Kermit Roosevelt, Captain, Motor Machine-Gun Corps, British Expeditionary Forces (New York 1919), p.145]
Returning from the war, Wootton turned to National Hunt racing, where the requirement to meet low weights is less. It has been said that he did not make a success of this[ but earlier sources deemed him a brilliant rider over hurdles, who "took his place among the champions almost immediately", albeit with an initial unfair advantage of a 5 lb allowance as a new jumps jockey.][
In 1999, the ]Racing Post
''Racing Post'' is a British daily horse racing, greyhound racing and sports betting publisher which is published in print and digital formats. It is printed in tabloid format from Monday to Sunday. , it has an average daily circulation of 6 ...
ranked Wooton as ninth in their list of the Top 50 jockeys of the 20th century.[
]
Death
Ultimately, he became a trainer, sending out over 100 winners from his father's former yard. He returned to Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
in 1933, but he continued to be ill, attributed to his race falls and to the wasting regime of his riding years. He began to drink and on 6 April 1940, was convicted of drunkenness. Later that day, whilst in jail, he had an epileptic seizure and died. He was buried in a Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
ceremony in Botany Cemetery
Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park, Eastern Suburbs Crematorium and Botany General Cemetery (aka Botany Cemetery), is a cemetery and crematorium on Bunnerong Road in Matraville, New South Wales, in the eastern suburbs district of Sydney, Australia.
...
.
Major wins
Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...
Classics
* Oaks – ''Perola (1909)''
* St. Leger
The St Leger Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Doncaster over a d ...
– ''Swynford
Swynford (January 1907 – 18 May 1928) was a British Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse. Bred at the Frederick Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby, 16th Lord Derby's stud in Lincolnshire, England he was sired by John O'Gaunt (horse), John O'Gaunt, a so ...
(1910)''
Selected other races
* Eclipse
An eclipse is an astronomical event that occurs when an astronomical object or spacecraft is temporarily obscured, by passing into the shadow of another body or by having another body pass between it and the viewer. This alignment of three ce ...
– ''Swynford
Swynford (January 1907 – 18 May 1928) was a British Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse. Bred at the Frederick Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby, 16th Lord Derby's stud in Lincolnshire, England he was sired by John O'Gaunt (horse), John O'Gaunt, a so ...
(1911)''
* Cesarewitch – ''Verney (1910)''
Career statistics
Total winners by season
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
* 1903: 1+
* 1904: Not known
* 1905: Not known
* 1906: 16[
]Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...
* 1907: 39[
* 1908: 129][
* 1909: 165][
* 1910: 137
* 1911: 187
* 1912: 118
* 1913 onwards: Not known
]
References
Bibliography
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wootton, Frank
1893 births
1940 deaths
Australian jockeys
Burials at Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park
Sportspeople from Sydney
Neurological disease deaths in New South Wales
Deaths from epilepsy
British Army personnel of World War I