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I do think that like a lot people on here he does sometimes stumble across what he is saying but he is always informative and much more of an expert on a horse based on its looks and conformation as opposed to its form which is where Jim McGrath is at his best.
I remember once at a York meeting on C4 when he interviewed Linda Perratt before a big sprint, it could have been the Coral Handciap for 3yo on the Sat before Royal Ascot and he said to her that both of her horses looked the best in the paddock.
Low and behold one of them won at 33-1.
John also was complimentary about Moonax before the leger 15 years ago or whenever it was, the nag won at 33s if I remember right.
John also was complimentary about Moonax before the leger 15 years ago or whenever it was, the nag won at 33s if I remember right.
He makes complimentary comments about a third of the field.
I would take more notice of what Jimbo says on conformation than John.
Mark
Value Is EverythingHumour must be in short supply if that was one of the funniest lines ever IMO ( was Thommo not working that day (?!), and typically politically incorrect to put it mildly.In fact echoes of when Francome was made to apologise to Irish viewers for another ‘ hilarious’ crack ( not)
.
Oh please!!
Political correctness – 8 out of 10 people will tell you what you can do with that.
…and we’d comprise the other two. That really wasn’t the most intelligent thing he’s ever uttered now, was it.
gc
Jeremy Grayson. Son of immigrant. Adoptive father of two. Metadata librarian. Freelance point-to-point / horse racing writer, analyst and commentator wonk. Loves music, buses, cats, the BBC Micro, ale. Advocate of CBT, PACE and therapeutic parenting. Aspergers.
“Greatest ever jockey” – a highly debatable statement but nevertheless one hell of a horseman. Why do you think that other even greater horseman, the late Fred Winter, put Francome up so many times on runners he trained?
While he would defer to Fred Winter on all matters to do with horses, John Francome never could follow his Governor’s instructions to “Only speak when you are spoken to and then say very little and – I won’t tell you again Francome, stay away from those stable girls.”
Surely it’s only Big Mac that calls him the Greatest jockey and that’s just a "term of endearment".
Anywho, I think he’s terrific. I don’t take a huge amount of notice of his tips, I just think he’s very entertaining to listen to.
"“Greatest ever jockey” – a highly debatable statement but nevertheless one hell of a horseman. Why do you think that other even greater horseman, the late Fred Winter, put Francome up so many times on runners he trained? "
Might that argument be weakened be weakened by pointing out that Fred Winter also used Richard Pitman a lot?
Colin
A softly sharpened stilletto moulded in calf from
‘bird
To counter Colin’s reservations
Pitman was one of the crispest
jockeys of his time
who received the very best training at home
never liking a (sorry Pitters)
or back seat in the car.
and was self effacingif
he ever he came second.
I can remember the expression
Francombe gave the ringed hyperbole
when he first slung greatest jcckey
across the studio at him,
surprise, derision,
an uncomfortable shifting in the plate."A softly sharpened stilletto moulded in calf from ‘bird "
Now, that is a compliment I shall savour.
Colin
A rapier sheltered by forgiving cloth
Actually when you roll your sleeves up
you can give anyone in this house
a hollerin to hell
however mostypes
like your grandsire
it is a cushioned ride
with a gentle effective
motion in the hipsSadly I am brash
unforgiving
and paint a rough carcass
We are living in an age where there simply is one jockey who has re written the record books and has shown no sign of stopping yet.
He has shown dedication to the job of riding National Hunt winners that many of his weighing room mates can only dream about.
His fitness is remarkable and his ability to get up from falling hard in one race only to appear an half an hour later to ride a powerfull finish needs to be seen sometimes to be believed.
Only last week he done this again at Plumpton.As many trainers such as Jim Best to Nicky Henderson have mentioned when you book this jockey his views on the horse after the race whether it has won or not are worth the riding fees alone.
How many jockeys would have remounted in that famous Southwell jump race and returned to the point where he fell off in order not to provoke a stewards enquiry as to whether he rode the horse throughout the correct distance and still won.
(I still feel sorry for the betfair customer who put up the 1000/1 to back when his horse fell!)He has never been banned for giving information to bookmakers he his focused on winners whether some lowly maiden hurdle race or the biggest races at Cheltenham.
On his private life no sign of him being seen stumbling out of nightclubs or being cautioned for having having cocaine in his possesion as in the case of Mr Dettori.
No need to get involved in putting his name to supermarket food or getting involved in resturant chains just 100% focused on riding National Hunt winners.
Many critics can say others are more stylish and maybe he does not have the best build for a National Hunt jockey but what he may not have those attributes he makes that up in determination and he his always trying until his horse passes the line whether he is in line to win or not.
Best ever National Hunt jockey is of course Tony Mc Coy!
McCoy may be the buscuit but
Francombe writing in last Sunday’s Racing Post
compared racing to a tin of bicuits.
He wanted Sundays kept free
and just a one meeting day during the whole of Chelters
and the Grand National
He more or less said that
if you have a box of biscuits thats full
all the time it ceases to be fun.I agrree with his biscuit philosophy.
What he failed to mention was
exactly what buscuits were in the tin of racing.Quite simple
Garibaldis
best enjoyed with a cup of tea or coffee.
They are also called dead fly biscuits
because the currants resemble dead flies
well said mr francome, it should be just the main meeting during cheltenham,grand national day and derby day. there are 7 meetings on derby day this year,what hope is there of the racing press having space to give the derby a proper build up when theyve got all that racing to fit in.
I’m not sure about one meeting a day on Saturdays but I do think Francome has a point in that there is far too much racing overall as well as on a Saturday.
Saturdays just concentrate on the big stuff, shove the run of the mill meetings to another day, I definitely agree with that sort of suggestion.
Runandskip is right. You don’t have a Premiership programme on FA Cup final day do you?
Saturdays just concentrate on the big stuff, shove the run of the mill meetings to another day, I definitely agree with that sort of suggestion.
The courses would not agree to it.
Average Saturday attendance in 2008:- 7,172
Average Weekday attendance in 2008:- 2,516
Total Saturday attendance:- 1,950,919
Total Mon-Thurs attendance:- 1,991,720
)
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