Francis the fallen hero starts Aintree festival
Apr 7 2006
Daily Post
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The Queen Mother's jockey opens the new weighing room. Graham Davies reports
FIFTY years after being involved in the most famous Grand National defeat, former jockey D!ck Francis was back at Aintree yesterday - and revealed it was the spur to changing his life.
On the first day of Aintree's three-day meeting, racegoers cheered as Mr Francis proudly opened the racecourse's new weighing room, part of a £30m redevelopment.
Mr Francis lost out on winning the world's longest steeplechase in 1956, when his horse Devon Loch mysteriously collapsed just 50 yards from the finish line.
Speaking at a champagne reception, the 85-year-old said the incident on the gelding, owned by the Queen Mother, was what kick-started his writing career.
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