Frederick Sidney Fox (1888–12 December 1945), referred to in his retirement as "The Mayor of Wantage" was a British

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 ...

. He was a British Classic winner in his early twenties, but it was not until the last quarter of his thirty-year career that he had his greatest successes. He became the

British flat racing Champion Jockey The Champion Jockey of flat racing in Great Britain is the jockey who has ridden the most winning horses during a season. The list below shows the Champion Jockey and the number of winners for each year since 1840. The seasonal record of jockeys' ...

in 1930, making him one of only three jockeys to interrupt Gordon Richards' three decade run as champion and won two Derbies on

Cameronian Cameronian was a name given to a radical faction of Scottish Covenanters who followed the teachings of Richard Cameron, and who were composed principally of those who signed the Sanquhar Declaration in 1680. They were also known as Society Me ...

in 1931 and Bahram in 1935. He narrowly missed out on the British

Triple Crown Triple Crown may refer to: Sports Horse racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States) ** Triple Crown Trophy ** Triple Crown Productions * Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Trip ...

. He was ranked the 20th best jockey of the 20th century by Britain's industry paper, 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 ...

''.

Career

Fox was born, youngest son of "Mr. and Mrs. L. Fox" at Ryton,

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to th ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

(although he gave

Berrington, Shropshire Berrington is a small village and civil parish in Shropshire, England. According to the 2001 census the village had a population of 30, though the parish, which also includes the larger village of Cross Houses and other settlements such as Betton ...

as his birth place in the 1911 Census) 1911 Census of Wantage, RG14/6483, Frederick Sidney Fox, Park Villa, Letcombe Regis, Jockey aged 23) He grew up at nearby Dorrington where he was educated at the village school and was a choirboy in its church, until moving at age 12 in 1900 to live with his eldest brother at

Kingsland, Herefordshire Kingsland is a small village and civil parish in the English county of Herefordshire, north-west of Leominster. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 986. The village church was built during the reign of Edward I (1239– ...

. He joined Pratt's Stables at

Letcombe Regis Letcombe Regis is a village and civil parish in the Vale of White Horse. It was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred the Vale of White Horse to Oxfordshire. The village is on Letcombe Brook at the foot of the Berkshire ...

, then in Berkshire and became an

apprentice Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners to gain a ...

at the age of eighteen, and had his first winner a year later. In 1911, he had his first

Classic A classic is an outstanding example of a particular style; something of lasting worth or with a timeless quality; of the first or highest quality, class, or rank – something that exemplifies its class. The word can be an adjective (a ''c ...

winner, taking the

1,000 Guineas The 1000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 ...

on James de Rothschild's filly Atmah. He then took some time out to go to

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

where he spent two

seasons A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and po ...

riding for the von Weinberg

stable A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals and livestock. There are many different types of stables in use today; the ...

, but returned to England prior to

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 ...

. He spent the next decade or more as a

journeyman A journeyman, journeywoman, or journeyperson is a worker, skilled in a given building trade or craft, who has successfully completed an official apprenticeship qualification. Journeymen are considered competent and authorized to work in that fie ...

jockey. He was not to win another classic until he was in his forties, and his career at this time was punctuated by only the occasional big race success, such as Irish Elegance in the 1918 July Cup. Things began to change by the end of the 1920s, and in 1930 he was involved in a neck-and-neck battle with reigning champion Gordon Richards for the Jockeys' Championship. The battle went down to the last day of the season, when Fox rode two winners to Richards' one to win the title 129 winners to 128. He added a further Classic in 1930, winning the

2000 Guineas The 2000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres) and scheduled to take place each year at ...

on Diolite, followed by the 1932

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 ...

on Firdaussi. In 1934, now towards the end of his career, he formed his most famous partnership with Bahram, owned by the

Aga Khan Aga Khan ( fa, آقاخان, ar, آغا خان; also transliterated as ''Aqa Khan'' and ''Agha Khan'') is a title held by the Imām of the Nizari Ismāʿīli Shias. Since 1957, the holder of the title has been the 49th Imām, Prince Shah Karim ...

, and trained by

Frank Butters Frank Joseph Arthur Butters (1878–1957) was a racehorse trainer specialising in flat racing who trained in Austria, Italy and England in the first half of the 20th century. He trained for two of the most successful owner-breeders in British raci ...

. On Bahram, he won the

2,000 Guineas The 2000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres) and scheduled to take place each year at ...

and the

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gai ...

"comfortably" and then, at

odds Odds provide a measure of the likelihood of a particular outcome. They are calculated as the ratio of the number of events that produce that outcome to the number that do not. Odds are commonly used in gambling and statistics. Odds also have ...

of 1/8, he won the St. James's Palace Stakes 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 ...

. With the 2,000 Guineas and Derby won, and Bahram in form, an attempt on the

in the St. Leger was a clear possibility. Bahram was set to go off a strong favourite for the race. However, the day before the race, Fox was seriously injured in a fall and the ride taken by

Charlie Smirke Charles James William Smirke (1906–1993), was a British flat-race jockey. In a career that lasted from 1920 until 1959, he rode the winners of eleven British Classic Races. As a rider, he was known for his skill, strength and tactical intel ...

. In the event, Bahram won "an easy victory" by 3 lengths, meaning Fox had narrowly been denied one of the rarest achievements in racing. Fox retired to

, near

Wantage Wantage () is a historic market town and civil parish in Oxfordshire, England. Although within the boundaries of the historic county of Berkshire, it has been administered as part of the Vale of White Horse district of Oxfordshire since 1974. T ...

in 1936, having given up on an initial plan to train. His successes for the Aga Khan were said to be what he would always be remembered for.

Personality and riding style

Fox was a naturally lightweight jockey. On his retirement in 1936 he was still able to meet a riding weight of 7 stone 7 lbs (47.6 kg). In appearance, he is said to have "resembled his

vulpine Vulpini is a taxonomic rank which represents the fox-like Tribe (biology), tribe of the subfamily Caninae (the canines), and is sister to the dog-like tribe Canini (tribe), Canini. Genera Taxonomy The taxonomy of Carnivora in general and Canid ...

namesake." He was a lot more measured than some of his contemporaries and was a popular figure in the weighing room. Maxims attributed to him include, "Be quiet, respect your elders, don't get cocky" and "Remember, however good you are, there's always someone better."

Later life

In later life, Fox was known in racing circles as "the Mayor of Wantage", due to the "country gentleman" lifestyle he adopted. On 12 December 1945 Fox was killed in a road accident at

Frilford Frilford is a hamlet and civil parish about west of Abingdon, at the junction of the A415 and A338 roads. It lies in the traditional county of Berkshire, but since 1974 has been administered as part of Oxfordshire. Archaeology The parish o ...

near Abingdon, his wife Norah Kathleen was injured."Death of F. FOX." Times ondon, England13 December 1945: 2. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 28 April 2013. Their only son Michael was a pilot in the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

who was killed 15 July 1940 on active service during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

aged 21.

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 ...

Classic Races

1,000 Guineas The 1000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 ...

- ''Atmah (1911)'' *

- (2) - ''Diolite (1930), Bahram (1935)'' *

- (2) - ''

(1931), Bahram (1935)'' * St. Leger - ''Firdaussi (1932)''

Other selected races

Cesarewitch Handicap The Cesarewitch Handicap is a flat handicap horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Newmarket over a distance of 2 miles and 2 furlongs (3,621 metres ...

- ''Noble Star (1931)'' *

Champion Stakes The Champion Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile and 2 furlong ...

- ''Umidwar (1934)'' *

Jockey Club Cup 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 ...

- ''Noble Star (1931)'' *

Jockey Club Stakes The Jockey Club Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 1 mile and 4 furlongs (2,414 metres) on ...

- ''Umidwar (1934)'' * July Cup - (2) - ''

Irish Elegance Irish Elegance (7 March 1915 – February 1940) was a British racehorse and sire. A non-Thoroughbred horse who excelled at sprint distances and carried big weights to victory in major handicap races, he has been described as Britain's "greatest ...

(1918),

Tiffin Tiffin is an Indian English word for a type of meal. It refers to a light breakfast or a light tea-time meal at about 3 p.m., consisting of typical tea-time foods. In certain parts of India, it can also refer to the midday luncheon or, in s ...

(1929)'' *

Middle Park Stakes The Middle Park Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old colts. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it is s ...

- ''Press Gang (1929)''

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fox, Freddie British jockeys 1888 births 1945 deaths Sportspeople from Shropshire English jockeys Road incident deaths in England British Champion flat jockeys