John Francome (born 13 December 1952) is a retired 7 time
British Champion Jump Jockey.
In addition to being a successful jockey, Francome was previously a racing trainer, broadcaster with
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
and an author.
Racing career
Francome first rode a pony called Black Beauty at the age of six. His first riding successes came as a showjumper, and was a member of the team that won the European Junior Show Jumping Championship for Great Britain.
Francome's father secured a meeting with trainer
Fred Winter
Frederick Thomas Winter, (20 September 1926 – 5 April 2004) was a British National Hunt racing racehorse jockey and trainer. He was British jump racing Champion Jockey four times and British jump racing Champion Trainer eight times. He is th ...
and he became an apprentice in October 1969. His first race ride came at
Worcester
Worcester may refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England
** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament
* Worcester Park, London, Engla ...
in December 1969, a race he won riding Multigrey trained by Godfrey Burr. In February 1970, Francome rode his first of 575 winners for trainer Winter on Osceola at
Towcester
Towcester ( ) is an affluent market town in Northamptonshire, England. It currently lies in West Northamptonshire but was the former administrative headquarters of the South Northamptonshire district council.
Towcester is one of the oldest ...
. Osbaldeston was an early success story for the Francome/Winter partnership, notching up 17 victories.
Francome won his first
British Champion Jump Jockey title in the 1975/76 season. The same year he secured his first Grade 1 victory in the
Sun Alliance Chase
The Brown Advisory Novices' Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt chase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about ...
at Cheltenham with Pengrail. On his way to the 1977/78 British Champion Jump Jockey title, he won the
Cheltenham Gold Cup
The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt horse race run on the New Course at Cheltenham Racecourse in England, over a distance of about 3 miles 2½ furlongs ( ...
on Midnight Court. In 1981, he won the
Stayers Hurdle on Derring Rose by 30 lengths again for Winter.
One of Francome's most successful horses was Burrough Hill Lad, trained by
Jenny Pitman
Jenny may refer to:
* Jenny (given name), a popular feminine name and list of real and fictional people
* Jenny (surname), a family name
Animals
* Jenny (donkey), a female donkey
* Jenny (gorilla), the oldest gorilla in captivity at the time of h ...
. Francome took victories in the
Welsh Grand National
The Coral Welsh Grand National is a Premier Handicap National Hunt racing, National Hunt Steeplechase (horse racing), steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to Horse racing, horses aged four years ...
,
Hennessy Gold Cup
/Ladbrokes Trophy
The Coral Gold Cup is a Premier Handicap National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run ...
and
King George VI Chase
The King George VI Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Kempton Park over a distance of ...
. At the 1984 Gold Cup, Francome could not ride Burrough Hill Lad due to his retainer with Winter, and finished second with Brown Chamberlin - a horse he had won both the Sun Alliance Chase and Hennessy Gold Cup on. Alongside riding for Pitman, Francome had success riding for
Michael Dickinson, successes on Wayward Lad in the 1982 King George VI Chase and also on Silver Buck, Bregawn and Flatterer.
Whilst many top successes came in Chases, Francome had success over hurdles with
Sea Pigeon
Sea Pigeon (1970–2000) was an American-bred, British-trained racehorse who excelled in both National Hunt and flat racing. In a racing career which lasted from 1972 until 1981 he competed in eighty-five races, and won thirty-seven times. He ...
winning the 1981
Champion Hurdle
The Champion Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a ...
.
During the 1982 season, Francome stopped riding once he drew level with competitor,
Peter Scudamore
Peter Scudamore MBE (born 29 June 1958), often known as 'Scu', is a former jockey and trainer in National Hunt racing. He was an eight-time Champion Jockey (including one title shared with John Francome), riding 1,678 winning horses in his c ...
, in the Jump Jockeys Championship as Scudamore was injured. The two shared the title. Francome broke
Stan Mellor's record of 1035 wins on Don't Touch at
Fontwell in May 1984.
In 1985, Francome retired and had ridden 1,138 winners over jumps in Britain and a total of seven British Champion Jump Jockey Titles.
The
John Francome Novices' Chase
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second ...
at Newbury was named after him in 2017.
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 ...
*
Cheltenham Gold Cup
The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt horse race run on the New Course at Cheltenham Racecourse in England, over a distance of about 3 miles 2½ furlongs ( ...
- Midnight Court (1978)
*
Sun Alliance Chase
The Brown Advisory Novices' Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt chase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about ...
- Pengrail (1975), Brown Chamberlin (1982)
*
Stayers Hurdle - Derring Rose (1981)
*
Champion Hurdle
The Champion Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a ...
-
Sea Pigeon
Sea Pigeon (1970–2000) was an American-bred, British-trained racehorse who excelled in both National Hunt and flat racing. In a racing career which lasted from 1972 until 1981 he competed in eighty-five races, and won thirty-seven times. He ...
(1981)
*
King George VI Chase
The King George VI Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Kempton Park over a distance of ...
- Wayward Lad (1982), Burrough Hill Lad (1984)
Cheltenham Festival winners (5)
*
Cheltenham Gold Cup
The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt horse race run on the New Course at Cheltenham Racecourse in England, over a distance of about 3 miles 2½ furlongs ( ...
- Midnight Court (1978)
*
Sun Alliance Chase
The Brown Advisory Novices' Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt chase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about ...
- Pengrail (1975), Brown Chamberlin (1982)
*
Stayers Hurdle - Derring Rose (1981)
*
Champion Hurdle
The Champion Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a ...
-
Sea Pigeon
Sea Pigeon (1970–2000) was an American-bred, British-trained racehorse who excelled in both National Hunt and flat racing. In a racing career which lasted from 1972 until 1981 he competed in eighty-five races, and won thirty-seven times. He ...
(1981)
Controversies
Francome had several controversial moments during his riding career. In 1978 he was suspended for 35 days for passing information to bookmaker, John Banks. He once famously referred to the racing stewards as "Cabbage Patch Dolls".
Career after racing
Writer
In 1986, Francome published his first fictional novel Eavesdropper. He went on to write a further 24 books. His most recent novel was Storm Rider published in 2010. His autobiography Born Lucky was published in 1985.
Bibliography
Francome's fictional books:
Francome's non fiction books:
Broadcaster
Francome was a member of the
Channel 4 Racing television broadcast team. He appeared on the weekly show
The Morning Line and also on race day broadcasts. In 2012, when Channel 4 Racing changed production companies from Highflyer to IMG, Francome left his role.
Injured Jockeys Fund
Between 2012 and 2016, Francome was the President of
The Injured Jockeys Fund. From 2017, he became a Vice Patron alongside fellow jockeys
AP McCoy
Sir Anthony Peter McCoy (born 4 May 1974), commonly known as AP McCoy or Tony McCoy, is a Northern Irish former National Hunt horse racing jockey. Based in Ireland and the UK, McCoy rode a record 4,358 winners, and was Champion Jockey a reco ...
and
Frankie Dettori
Lanfranco Dettori (; born 15 December 1970), better known as Frankie Dettori, is an Italian horse racing jockey based in the United Kingdom. Dettori has been British flat racing Champion Jockey three times and has ...
.
Personal life
Francome was born in
Swindon
Swindon () is a town and unitary authority with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Wiltshire, England. As of the 2021 Census, the population of Swindon was 201,669, making it the largest town in the county. The Swindon un ...
,
Wiltshire
Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...
. In 1976 he married Miriam Stringer. The couple divorced in 1990. Sam Ricketts, the former professional footballer for Wales is his nephew.
In 1986, Francome was awarded an MBE for services to horse racing.
Francome built and owns Beechdown Farm in
Lambourn
Lambourn is a village and civil parish in Berkshire, England. It lies just north of the M4 Motorway between Swindon and Newbury, and borders Wiltshire to the west and Oxfordshire to the north. After Newmarket it is the largest centre of ra ...
, a stableyard and training facility that can house 96 horses. Clive Cox is currently the resident racing trainer.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Francome, John
1952 births
English jockeys
Living people
Members of the Order of the British Empire
People from Lambourn
Sportspeople from Swindon
British horse racing writers and broadcasters
British Champion jumps jockeys
English_male_novelists
Autobiographers
British_sports_broadcasters