Born in Swindon, Wiltshire on December 13, 1952, to a family with no connection to horse racing, John Francome was already an accomplished showjumper – he had, in fact, won the Young Riders’ Championship of Great Britain at Hickstead – before joining legendary National Hunt trainer Fred Winter, at Uplands Stables in Upper Lambourn, Berkshire, as a 16-year-old. He rode a winner at the first attempt, on Multigrey, owned and trained by Godfrey Burr, at Worcester on December 2, 1970.
However, after a year with Winter, as fourth-choice jockey behind Paul Kelleway, Richard Pitman and Vic Soane and struggling with his weight, Francome was on the verge of giving up. Nevertheless, he persevered and, due in large part to his association with Osbaldeston, on whom he would eventually win 17 races, embarked on a career that would see him become champion jockey seven times between 1975/76 and 1984/85. In 1981/82, he shared the title with Peter Scudamore, who was sidelined with a broken arm in the closing stages of the season; Francome sportingly stopped riding when he drew level with Scudamore, making them joint champions.
Francome reached the landmark of 1,000 career winners on Observe, trained by Winter, at Worcester in February 1983 and the following May beat the previous record for National Hunt winners, 1,035, set by Stan Mellor, on Don’t Touch at Fontwell. He rode his last winner, Gambler’s Cup, at Huntingdon in April 1985 and retired the following daym with 1,137 British winners to his name, after becoming ‘hung up’ by a twisted stirrup leather when his final mount, The Reject, fell at Chepstow.
At the Cheltenham Festival, Francome rode five winners, including Midnight Court, trained by Winter, in the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 1978, Sea Pigeon, trained by Peter Easterby, in the Champion Hurdle and Derring Rose, also trained by Winter, in the Stayers’ Hurdle, both in 1981.
He later told the ‘Racing Post’, “Most people think the winning post at Cheltenham is at the bottom of the hill. Once you realise it isn’t, life’s a lot easier.” Away from the Festival, Francome also won the King George VI Chase at Kempton twice, on Wayward Lad, trained by Michael Dickinson, in 1982 and Burrough Hill Lad, trained by Jenny Pitman, in 1984.