Dick Francis

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Dick Francis

British jockey and writer

Also known as: Richard Stanley Francis

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Oct 27, 2024 • Article History

Quick Facts

In full:: Richard Stanley Francis

Born:: October 31, 1920, Lawrenny, Pembrokeshire, Wales

Died:: February 14, 2010, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands (aged 89)

Notable Works:: “10 Lb. Penalty”; “Come to Grief”; “Comeback”; “Dead Cert”; “Decider”; “Forfeit”; “Hot Money”; “Reflex”; “Second Wind”; “Shattered”; “To the Hilt”; “Under Orders”

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Dick Francis (born October 31, 1920, Lawrenny, Pembrokeshire, Wales—died February 14, 2010, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands) was a British jockey and mystery writer known for his realistic plots centred on the sport of horse racing. The son of a jockey, Francis took up steeplechase riding in 1946, turning professional in 1948. In 1957 he had an accident that cut short his riding career. That same year he published The Sport of Queens: The Autobiography of Dick Francis, and until 1973 he was a racing correspondent for London’s Sunday Express. In 1962 Francis turned to fiction with a successful first novel, ...(100 of 286 words)

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