Category: Jockeys

In later life, Richard ‘Dick’ Francis found fame as a best-selling author of crime fiction, known for his formulaic, but nonetheless realistic, stories. That realism should come as no surprise, though, because before turning to fiction, Francis was a successful National Hunt jockey. He started his riding career, as an amateur, in 1946, before turning professional two years later. Between 1953 and 1957, Francis rode horses owned by Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother and trained by Peter Cazalet and, in 1953/54, shared the National Hunt jockeys’ title with Fred Rimmell.

As a jockey, the most dramatic incident of Francis’ career occurred at Aintree on March 24, 1956, during the running of the Grand National. His mount, Devon Loch, safely negotiated all 30 fences and, on the run-in, held a 5-length lead over his nearest pursuer, ESB. Approaching the wings of the Water Jump – which is ommitted on the second circuit of the Grand National – Devon Loch suddenly fly-jumped into the air and collapsed to the ground, allowing ESB to win unchallenged.

Various theories have been put forward for the mishap, but Francis was of the opinion that, granted that Devon Loch recovered quickly, ‘cramp seemed the only solution’. However, what really happened to Devon Loch remains an abiding mystery, worthy of one of Francis’ novels.

The first National Hunt jockey to ride 1,000 winners was the late Stanley ‘Stan’ Mellor, who died aged 83 in August, 2020. Known for his guile as much as his strength and style, Mellor won the Jump Jockeys’ Championship three years running in 1959/60, 1960/61 and 1961/62. Indeed, he may have won more jockeys’ titles, but for serious facial injuries sustained in a fall from Eastern Harvest in the augural running of the Schweppes Gold Trophy at Aintree in 1963.

In any event, Mellor rode Chorus, trained by Harry Thomson Jones, to victory at Nottingham in 1971 to beat the previous record for winners on British soil, 923, set by Fred Winter. He reached the landmark of 1,000 winners on Ouzo, also trained by Jones, at Nottingham later that year and, at the time of his retirement, at the end of the 1971/72 season, had racked up a career total of 1,035 winners in Britain.

In a typical example of brains over brawn, Mellor guided 25/1 chance Stalbridge Colonist to a half-length victory over the legendary Arkle – who was, in fairness, conceding 35lb – in the Hennessy Gold Cup in 1966. Biding his time, Mellor drove Stalbridge Colonist, who was blessed with a potent turn of foot, into the final fence and took a narrow lead on the run-in, giving Arkle little time to respond.

On April 3, 2021, to the shock of everyone, Richard Johnson announced his retirement with immediate effect. Johnson rode his first winner under National Hunt rules, Rusty Bridge, at Hereford in April,1994 and, under the mentorship of David ‘The Duke’ Nicholson, won the Conditional Jockeys’ Championship in 1995/96.

By the time of his retirement, Johnson accumulated 3,819 winners, a figure bettered only by his great friend and rival Tony McCoy. Indeed, he was forced to play ‘second fiddle’ to McCoy for much of his career, finishing runner-up in the National Hunt Jockeys’ Championship on no fewer than occasions.

However, McCoy retired in April, 2015, allowing Johnson to finally emerge from his shadow. He did so in style, winning the jockeys’ title four years running between 2015/16 and 2018/19, with 235, 180, 176 and 200 winners, respectively. At the Cheltenham Festival, Johnson rode a career total of 22 winners and won each of the main ‘championship races’ – Champion Hurdle, Queen Mother Champion Chase, Stayers’ Hurdle and Cheltenham Gold Cup – at least once.

In the Grand National, Johnson still holds the unenviable record of the most rides, 21, without success. The best he ever managed in the Aintree marathon was two second-placed finishes, on What’s Up Boys in 2002 and Balthazar King in 2014.

In the sphere of National Hunt racing, it would be fair to say that Sir Anthony Peter McCoy, still known to his friends as ‘A.P.’, carried all before him. At the time of his retirement in April, 2015, he had ridden 4,348 winners under National Hunt rules and set a series of extraordinary records, some of which may never be broken. McCoy won the National Hunt Jockeys’ Championship in each of the 20 seasons he rode in Britain. In 2001/02, he racked up 289 winners, smashing the previous record for the number of winners in a single season, set by Sir Gordon Richards in 1947.

However, the Cheltenham Festival was perhaps the one instance when McCoy did not entirely rule the roost. Of the four main ‘championship’ races, he won the Champion Hurdle three times, the Cheltenham Gold Cup twice and the Queen Mother Champion Chase once. The Stayers’ Hurdle was a notable omission from his CV, but he did win the leading jockey award twice, in 1997 and 1998, while stable jockey to Martin Pipe. However, his career total of 31 Cheltenham Festival winners is only third in the all-time list, behind Rupert ‘Ruby’ Walsh, with 59 winners, and Barry Geraghty, with 43 winners. Of the jockeys still riding, only Davy Russell, with 25 winners, is really within hailing distance, so his position looks safe for a while yet.