Our role in remarkable success of a lucky loser
Thursday at Aintree racecourse a life-size bronze statue will be unveiled by Princess Anne. It is of a man who, in one of sport’s greatest ironies, became more famous for not winning the Grand National than winning it.
Riding the Queen Mother’s horse Devon Loch in 1956, jockey Dick Francis was clear of the rest of the field and fewer than 50 yards from the finishing post.
But his mount, cheered on by a crowd expectant of seeing a royal winner, dramatically and inexplicably did the splits.
Big-race glory was snatched from horse and rider in the cruellest way imaginable.
Coming so close to victory in the world’s most iconic steeplechase was a shattering blow to Francis. Yet, in a strange twist of fate, his agonising failure ended up bringing him more riches and success.
As the enduring admiration of ill-fated polar explorer Captain Scott shows, there is nothing the British love more than a gallant loser. And the self-effacing Francis fitted the bill perfectly.
He took his defeat with characteristic grace, as did the Queen Mother who was very quick to console her downcast jockey. The whole country felt sorry for him.
The Sunday Express, as ever in tune with the national mood, approached Francis to write a number of articles and on his retirement from the saddle in 1957 we offered him the job as our racing correspondent.
He was also commissioned to pen his autobiography, The Sport of Queens. Its success inspired him, ably assisted by wife Mary, to become a best-selling prolific author of actionpacked racing novels. Over four decades, starting with the publication of Dead Cert in 1962, Francis’s 41 novels sold more than 60 million copies in 35 languages.
They also spawned a TV series and a film. On the back of his literary exploits he became a very wealthy man.
Richard Stanley Francis’s own strangerthan-fiction story began inwales in 1920.
Born on his maternal grandparents’ farm in Pembrokeshire, he learnt to ride when he was just five... on a donkey.
He wanted to be a jockey but the Second World War intervened. Francis served with distinction in the RAF, piloting Spitfires and flying Wellington bombers on diversionary attack missions including, on one occasion, for the legendary Dam Busters.
After the war he got a job as secretary to Cheshire-based racehorse trainer George Owen, and rode as an amateur. He then turned professional, winning his first big race, the Welsh Grand National, in 1949.
Sir Rupert Mackeson is a former amateur rider and friend of Francis, who has written a booklet, Dick Francis At Aintree, which will be on sale at the course on
Thursday, along with a £3,500 maquette of the new statue. He appraises the skills of the champion jump jockey of 1953/4: “He was a great horseman rather than a pure jockey. He had wonderful hands and was quite fearless.
“He also enjoyed the patronage of aristocrats who owned some of the best horses – the Earl of Sefton, who also owned Aintree, the Duchess of Norfolk, Lord Bicester and, of course, the Queen Mother. Francis was Her Majesty’s great favourite.”
Mackeson points out that even though Francis was unlucky in 1956, his Aintree record was actually very impressive.
“He rode 25 times over the big fences and got round on 16 occasions.that’s a 64 per cent completion rate, compared to the average of that time of around 25 per cent.
“And the fences when Dick was riding were more fearsome than they are today. They were like big green stone walls, many of which had drops on the landing side.”
Francis’s ill-fortune in 1956 did not dison
courage him from helping to save Aintree when it was feared the venue would be bought by property developers in 1982.
Francis died aged 89 in 2010. The debt owed to him by racing is acknowledged by Dickon White, the Jockey Club’s regional director for the Northwest.
He says: “Few people have done more for Aintree and the Grand National than Dick Francis. Not only did he play a significant role in securing the future of the racecourse and the world’s most famous steeplechase, he introduced millions of people to our sport through his books, as well as being an extremely gifted rider himself.”
It is entirely fitting therefore that Francis is being honoured with a statue, sculpted by leading equine artistwilliam Newton, at the course he is most associated with.
His son Felix, who has successfully taken over the family’s thriller-writing franchise, with his 15th book Iced published last year, says: “It’s wonderful that Aintree is honouring him in this way.”
Felix also reveals how working for the Sunday Express helped his father hone his writing skills: “He never missed a deadline in 16 years. It taught him that every word had to count.”
As to Devon Loch’s spectacular bellyflop, 66 years on and the jury is still out.
One theory is that he was affected by the roar of the crowd, described as the greatest ever heard at a racecourse. Another is that his girth was over-tightened. Fortunately, Devon Loch showed no signs of injury and was walking normally minutes later.
As for the crestfallen jockey, his most famous defeat became his greatest success.
Neil Clark is author of Champion Jump Horse Racing Jockeys 1945 to Present Day (White Owl Books, £25). For free UK P&P, call Express Bookshop on 020 3176 3832 or visit expressbookshop.com