John Francome started his jockey career at the age of 16 when he was an apprentice for Lambourn trainer, Fred Winter. Despite not coming from a family of jockeys, he rode the astounding total of 1,138 winners, up until April of 1985 when he retired from racing. Over the course of his career, John was Champion Jockey 7 times, starting in 1976. At the peak of his active jockey career, he won the Gold Cup at Cheltenham on Midnight Court, in 1978.
John has always been infatuated with racehorses. With their sheer power, agile precision and fearless trust in the rider, it is easy to respect them. As a pundit, he is frequently asked about which horses people should put bets on during the racing season, and to that, he has an extensive range of strategies in order to choose the right winner.
Valuing the younger underdog, choosing healthier horses and keeping up to date with the previous races are all tips that he is eager to share. But more importantly, as a motivational horse racing speaker, John reveals that the horse that comes last in one race could come first in the next, a notion that he instils in his audience. John is passionate about believing in people’s abilities, despite their previous failures, as he advocates that failing in the present does not define the outcome of the future.
Due to his talent and determination, John is regarded as the third most successful National Hunt jump jockey of all time. After retiring from the course, John was honoured with an MBE for his unwavering dedication to racing. Prior to presenting Channel 4’s horse racing broadcasts, he was a trainer for 18 months, using his extensive knowledge of the challenging sport to train the next generation of horse racers. John then turned his hand to fiction writing, publishing 25 books between 1986 and 2010.
As soon as a former jockey, John Francome, steps onto the stage, the audience is captivated by his passionate account of his horse racing career. Exploring both the exhilerating highs in his career and earth shattering lows, his honest speaking style and positive outlook will leave guests reflecting upon their own achievements differently and more fondly. There aren’t many speakers like John, whose integrity and unapologetic candid nature make him a relatable sporting figure.
