Frank Wootton (jockey)
| Frank Wootton | |
|---|---|
Vanity Fair in 1909. | |
| Occupation | Jockey |
| Born | 14 December 1893[1] Glebe, Sydney, Australia |
| Died | 6 April 1940 (aged 46)[1] Sydney, Australia |
| Career wins | Record incomplete |
| Major racing wins | |
| British Classic Race wins as jockey: Epsom Oaks (1909) St Leger Stakes (1910) | |
| Racing awards | |
| British flat racing Champion Jockey 4 times (1909, 1910, 1911 1912) | |
| Significant horses | |
| Swynford | |
Francis Leonard Wootton (14 December 1893 – 6 April 1940), known as "Frank" or "Frankie", and sometimes referred to as "The Wonderboy",
Early life
He was born in Australia, the eldest son of Richard Wootton, a "tall, dark-visaged, hard-bitten Australian".[2] His brother was Stanley, another jockey, and later, trainer and jockey coach. The boys were subjected to a very strict regime during their youth; their father was determined they would become jockeys and allegedly denied them food.[3]
Richard was sure Frank was ready to race ride from the age of 9, but
Riding career
Frank was successful in South Africa immediately. His first victory was at
After the move to England, Wootton was quick to pick up where he had left off in South Africa, getting his first win aged just 13. In 1908, he rode seven winners at the
Wootton retained the title in each of the next two years. By then though, he had grown and was beginning to struggle with his weight. He also had a motorbike accident on
By the end of 1913, however, the strain of keeping his weight down had become too much and Wootton all but retired.[9][10] He took to training a few lower-grade horses[2] but his burgeoning training career was curtailed by the advent of World War I during which he served with the British Expeditionary Force in Mesopotamia, where he managed to race as well.[11]
Returning from the war, Wootton turned to National Hunt racing, where the requirement to meet low weights is less. It has been said that he did not make a success of this[5] but earlier sources deemed him a brilliant rider over hurdles, who "took his place among the champions almost immediately", albeit with an initial unfair advantage of a 5 lb allowance as a new jumps jockey.[2]
In 1999, the Racing Post ranked Wooton as ninth in their list of the Top 50 jockeys of the 20th century.[12]
Death
Ultimately, he became a
Major wins
Classics
Selected other races
- Eclipse – Swynford (1911)
- Cesarewitch – Verney (1910)
Career statistics
Total winners by season
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Ryan 2005.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Is he an Aussie?..." Auckland Star. Auckland, New Zealand. 3 March 1945. p. 6. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
- ^ J. A. Ryan, 'Wootton, Francis Leonard (Frank) (1893–1940)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/wootton-francis-leonard-frank-13286/text3817, published first in hardcopy 2005, accessed online 7 August 2016.
- ^ a b "History: The McLachlans". Freedman Racing. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
- ^ a b c "Wootton, Frank (1894 – 1940)". National Horseracing Museum. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
- ^
"Frank Wootton injured". Marlborough Express. Marlborough, New Zealand. 13 August 1911. p. 5. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
- ^ "Wootton is not retiring". Evening Post. Wellington, New Zealand. 7 October 1912. p. 4. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
- ^ "Frank Wootton's success". Wairarapa Daily Times. Wairarapa, New Zealand. 18 August 1913. p. 5. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
- ^
"Frank Wootton Retires". Marlborough Express. Whangarei, New Zealand. 10 November 1913. p. 2. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
- ^
"Wootton's retirement". Northern Advocate. Whangarei, New Zealand. 14 November 1913. p. 5. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
- ^ "Occasionally race meetings were planned and the various divisions would send representatives. Frank Wooton [sic], the well-known jockey, was a despatch-rider, and usually succeeded in getting leave enough to allow him to ride some general's horses." War in the Garden of Eden, by Kermit Roosevelt, Captain, Motor Machine-Gun Corps, British Expeditionary Forces (New York 1919), p.145
- ^
"A century of racing – 50 greatest flat jockeys". The Racing Post. 17 May 1999. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
Bibliography
- Ryan, J. A. (2005). "Wootton, Francis Leonard (Frank) (1893–1940)". Australian Dictionary of Biography, q.v 'Wootton, Francis Leonard (Frank) (1893–1940)'. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
