Dick Francis

Dick Francis CBE
Dick Francis (right)
Born	(1920-10-31)31 October 1920 Lawrenny, Pembrokeshire, Wales
Died	14 February 2010(2010-02-14) (aged 89) Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
Occupation	Jockey Novelist
Language	English
Nationality	British
Citizenship	United Kingdom
Period	1957–2010
Genre	Crime fiction
Notable awards	Edgar Award Gold Dagger
Spouse	Mary Margaret ​ ​ (m. 1947; died 2000)​
Children	2, including Felix
Website
www.dickfrancis.com

Richard Stanley Francis CBE FRSL (31 October 1920 – 14 February 2010) was a British^[1] steeplechase jockey and crime writer whose novels centre on horse racing in England.

After wartime service in the RAF, Francis became a full-time jump-jockey, winning over 350 races and becoming champion jockey of the British National Hunt. He came to further prominence in 1956 as jockey to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, riding her horse Devon Loch which fell when close to winning the Grand National. Francis retired from the turf and became a journalist and novelist.

Many of his novels deal with crime in the horse-racing world, with some of the criminals being outwardly respectable figures. The stories are narrated by the main character, often a jockey, but sometimes a trainer, an owner, a bookie, or someone in a different profession, peripherally linked to racing. This person always faces great obstacles, often including physical injury. More than forty of these novels became international best-sellers.