RIP Dick Francis

[mick56]

If ever someone was entitled to be included in a horse racing hall of fame it is surely Dick Francis who passed away this week end at the age of 89.I expect there will be rightly so, many lengthy obituaries published in the racing press,but i thought i would add mine from the perspective of a fan of the man and his work.

I must confess i did not no a great deal about the man but rather his books,and my understanding is that dispite his world wide fame as an author this is how he liked it,for such a famous person that in its self is a great tribute.I was not around to appreciate what he achieved as a jockey, i only found out recently that he served as a pilot through out WW2.

For me the mans legacy will be his novels of course many centered around horse racing and these where of primary interest,but i always think that reading good fiction can educate as well as entertain and dick had a real talent for making an apparently boring subject for many appear interesting and exciting,i remember one of his books which revolved around the world of banking another the art world both would be for me examples of the above

So thank you Dick for the pleasure you gave and the modest way you did so.

[bigcumba]

Couldn't agree more Mick.. a decent man, and a decent writer.. certainly deserves his place in the HOF..

[tophatter]

I read a couple of his books when I was younger, not a bad read and he came across as a decent man who loved racing.