John Francome

John Francome MBE (13 December 1952) is a former National Hunt Champion Jockey.

Born in Swindon the son of a railway fireman, his family had no connection with the horse racing world. At sixteen years old he became apprentice to Lambourn trainer Fred Winter and so began his career as a jockey. He rode a total of 1,138 winners, his last being in April 1985. During the course of his career he was NH Champion Jockey seven times.

After retiring Francome was awarded the MBE in 1986 for services to racing. He was a trainer for 18 months before becoming a TV presenter for Channel 4's horse racing broadcasts. Like another former jockey, Dick Francis, Francome has taken to writing works of fiction. His books have featured on the bestseller lists.

Bibliography

1. EavesDropper (1986), ISBN 0-356-12744-3 (with James MacGregor)
2. Riding High (1987), ISBN 0-356-14558-1 (with James MacGregor)
3. Declared Dead (1988), ISBN 0-7472-0087-4 (with James MacGregor)
4. Blood Stock (1989), ISBN 0-7472-0129-3 (with James MacGregor)
5. Stone Cold (1990), ISBN 0-7472-0227-3
6. Stud Poker (1991), ISBN 0-7472-0390-3
7. Rough Ride (1992), ISBN 0-7472-0566-3
8. Outsider (1993), ISBN 0-7472-0749-6
9. Break Neck (1994), ISBN 0-7472-1032-2
10. Dead Ringer (1995), ISBN 0-7472-1264-3
11. False Start (1996), ISBN 0-7472-1653-3
12. High Flyer (1997), ISBN 0-7472-1896-X cover photography Peter Dazeley
13. Safe Bet (1998), ISBN 0-7472-2133-2
14. Tip Off (1999), ISBN 0-7472-2134-0
15. LifeLine (2000), ISBN 0-7472-7239-5
16. Dead Weight (2001), ISBN 0-7472-7241-7
17. Inside Track (2002), ISBN 0-7553-0060-2
18. Stalking Horse (2003), ISBN 0-7553-0668-6
19. Back Hander (2004), ISBN 0-7553-0681-3
20. Cover Up (2005), ISBN 0-7553-2690-3
21. Winner Takes All (2006), ISBN 0-7553-2948-1
22. Dark Horse (2007) ISBN 978-0-7553-4703-2
23. Final Breath (2008) ISBN 978-0-7553-3728-6
24. Deadly Finish (2009)
25. Storm Rider (2010)

Personal life

His nephew Sam Ricketts is currently a footballer with Bolton Wanderers and the Welsh national team.

External links

• John Francome interview
• John Francome's record at the Cheltenham Festival

See also

• Dick Francis

Awards
Preceded by Michael Johnson	RTS Television Sport Awards Best Sports Pundit 2004	Succeeded by Martin Brundle