“My brother, Merrick, and I, together with the whole Francis family, are overwhelmed that Aintree Racecourse have chosen to honour the contribution that our father made to British Steeplechasing in general, and to the Grand National in particular. We are most grateful to Mr Peter Johnson, art dealer, former amateur rider, life-long Dick Francis fan, and founder of the British Sporting Art Trust, who has inspired and driven this project to fruition; to the sculptor, William Newton, for his skill in creating such an uncanny likeness; and also to the many friends, family and others who have helped contribute towards the cost.”
!! PRESS RELEASE !!
Dick Francis life-size statue to be unveiled at Aintree
by HRH The Princess Royal on Thursday 7th April
Aintree Racecourse, home of the Grand National, is honouring Dick Francis, former Wartime RAF Pilot, Champion Jump Jockey, Bestselling Author, and Trustee of Aintree Racecourse for 20 years, with the installation of a life-size bronze statue, sculpted by renowned sculptor, William Newton. The instigator of the statue is Peter Johnson, lifelong fine art dealer, former point-to-point rider, Dick Francis fan, and founder of the British Sporting Art Trust.
The statue will stand at the top of the steps outside the Aintree weighing room with Dick looking out across the parade ring and the winner's enclosure. It will be unveiled by Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal at 2pm on Thursday 7th April, during the first day of the 2022 Grand National meeting.
The statue depicts Dick in his time as a jockey. It was inspired by the photograph taken of Dick in the parade ring with Her Majesty The Queen and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother before he rode the ill-fated Devon Loch in the 1956 Grand National. Even though, as we all know, that particular race ended in a disaster when Devon Loch collapsed just 40 yards from certain victory, it was still the defining moment in Dick's life and, as such, that day is immortalised in the statue.
In all Dick rode thirty-five times at Aintree during his riding career, including in eight Grand Nationals, and won three times over the Grand National fences — in the Topham Trophy Handicap, the Molyneux Chase and in the final running of the Champion Chase at Aintree in 1950 before the race was transferred to Cheltenham. Dick missed attending only one Grand National in the sixty years from 1947 to 2007, and acted as ‘expert summariser' to Peter Bromley's BBC radio commentary of the race for almost forty years until Peter's retirement in 2001.
However, it is mostly because of his instrumental role in the 1982 Grand National Appeal to purchase the racecourse, and hence save it from becoming a housing estate, and his subsequent twenty years as a Trustee, that Dick Francis is being honoured by Aintree. And also because, as was said when he was inaugurated into the Cheltenham Racecourse Hall of Fame, “Through his many racing mystery novels, he introduced more people worldwide to British steeplechasing than any other single individual.”
For more information, and/or interviews, contact Felix Francis – felix@felixfrancis.com
