Thomas French (1844–1873), born in Liverpool, was a

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 ...

winning English

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 ...

. At the age of 12, he was apprenticed to James Godding at Palace House, Newmarket, before becoming stable jockey to

Mathew Dawson Mathew Dawson (1820–1898) was a British racehorse trainer. In a career which lasted from 1840 until his death in 1898 he trained the winners of twenty-eight British Classic Races, a figure surpassed by only two other men. He was significan ...

in the 1860s, when

Fred Archer Fred or Frederick Archer may refer to: * Fred Archer (jockey) (1857–1886), English jockey * Fred R. Archer (1889–1963), photographer and co-inventor of the photographic Zone System * Frederick Scott Archer (1813–1857), inventor of the photogr ...

became apprentice. Archer, who would become one of the most successful jockeys in history, modelled his style on French. Both were a much taller build than other jockeys. His first public ride was in 1859, when he could ride at 5st 1lb. That year he also rode The Greek in the

Lincoln Handicap The Lincoln Handicap is a flat handicap horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres) at Doncaster in late March or early April. It is ...

. His first winner was St Albans in the Great Metropolitan Stakes, which made his name. He then won the

Chester Cup The Chester Cup is a flat handicap horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 2 miles, 2 furlongs and 147 yards () at Chester in ...

on the same horse. He also had four other winners in 1860. He began 1861 well, winning five out of seven races at

Salisbury Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath. Salisbury is in the southeast of Wil ...

and finished the season with 22 winners. In 1862 he won 38, and 1863 40. In that year he won the

Goodwood Cup The Goodwood Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 2 miles (3,219 ...

on Isolino, and finished the season riding eight winners at

Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , also ) is a market town, civil parish, and the county town of Shropshire, England, on the River Severn, north-west of London; at the 2021 census, it had a population of 76,782. The town's name can be pronounced as either 'Sh ...

. In 1865, he won the Great Metropolitan Stakes again on Planet and came second in the Derby on Christmas Carol. He was second again the following year on Savernake. In 1869 he rode 72 winners from 180 rides, with 10 walks over. His wins included the

Brocklesby Stakes The Brocklesby Stakes is a flat conditions race horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged two years. It is notable as the traditional opening two-year-old race of the British Flat racing season. It is run over fiv ...

on Roma, the Northamptonshire Cup on Old Friday, and twelve winners at the Newmarket July meeting, including Kingcraft in the Chesterfield Stakes. At

Doncaster Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated in ...

, he won a "clever" victory on Frivolity in the Filly Stakes and on Rupert in the Scarborough Stakes. On Atlantis, he won the Clearwell Stakes and Prendergast Stakes for Lord Falmouth. French won two successive runnings of the

. In 1870, he won on

Kingcraft Kingcraft (1867–1887) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He was one of the leading British two-year-old of his generation, winning six of his nine races in 1869. The following year he finished third in the 2000 Guineas and the ...

for Lord Falmouth. On the morning of the race, he found a horseshoe when out for a stroll with fellow jockey

George Fordham George Fordham (1837–1887) was a British flat racing jockey. He was Champion Jockey every year between 1855 and 1863, as well as four other occasions in his own right and once as joint champion. He then won the Derby in 1879, won the Oaks ...

. He picked it up and tossed it over his shoulder for good luck, declaring, "George, I shall beat you today!" which he did. The following year, he won on Favonius, trained by Joseph Hayhoe for Baron Meyer de Rothschild and was awarded £1,000 by the Baron for it. By that stage, the effect of wasting had had a deleterious effect on his health, and he had developed

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

. Despite this, he was second on Prince Charlie to Wenlock in the 1872

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 ...

. Doctors ordered him to winter abroad in 1872/73, and he went to

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 ...

, where he rode Faliero for Sir George Chetwynd in the

Khedive Khedive (, ota, خدیو, hıdiv; ar, خديوي, khudaywī) was an honorific title of Persian origin used for the sultans and grand viziers of the Ottoman Empire, but most famously for the viceroy of Egypt from 1805 to 1914.Adam Mestyan"Kh ...

's Grand Prize. He lost that, but won a hurdle race on him an hour later, the only time he rode over hurdles. His health did not improve, however, and he died on Saturday 30 August 1873, aged 29. He was buried the following Thursday. His final race had been on Trombone in the Berkshire Cup at

Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places Australia * Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area * Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland **Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...

on 15 August. He was a fine horseman and skilled race rider, although he could be hard on a horse, sometimes whipping them so much he drew blood. Off a horse, he was extremely reserved and sensitive, and a man of integrity. By a few years after his death, commentators ranked him "among the very best" of modern jockeys, with "great power, length, rare hands, and accurate and fine judgment ic.

Major wins

Great Britain *

Epsom Derby The Derby Stakes, also known as the Epsom Derby or the Derby, and as the Cazoo Derby for sponsorship reasons, is a Group 1 flat horse race in England open to three-year-old colts and fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs Racecourse in Surrey o ...

– (2) – ''

(1870)'', '' Favonius (1871)''

References

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:French, Tom 1844 births 1873 deaths English jockeys