John Francome: 'Perhaps even Lester didn't have the sublime grace he had'

In another life John Francome might have never entered racing’s orbit.

A European showjumping champion at 16, the rider with silken hands and the poise of an acrobat talked to Harvey Smith and David Broome, a pair of 1960s showjumping titans, about furthering his career in a sport that was then big box office. It was almost by the toss of a coin that he joined Fred Winter’s stable instead.

It would have been easy to imagine Francome excelling in those jump-offs against the clock, with his sense of daring and split-second ability to improvise. He would have drawn equal acclaim and turned as many heads, but it would have been racing’s irretrievable loss.