Franny Norton explains to Matt Brocklebank the buzz he gets from riding around Chester, while we also get the thoughts of Racing TV analyst and author Mark Howard on what makes the jockey so effective at the venue..
What are your favourite Franny Norton rides around Chester, or elsewhere? Share your thoughts with us via racingfeedback@sportinglife.com and they will appear at the foot of the article.
Matt Brocklebank - Fans' favourite missing big week
Franny Norton admits living in lockdown doesn't really play to his strengths.
"I’m too lively," he says. "And I can’t sit still. My garden is looking superb, though, so I’m taking the positives where I can."
Springtime has invariably been kind to the evergreen Liverpudlian. Not that he goes into hibernation throughout the other seasons, but when you think of the early Flat meetings, the smell of freshly-cut grass, and exuberant two-year-olds taking their first tentative steps onto a racecourse in public, Norton is among the jockeys who immediately come to mind.
Racing in Britain has been left in limbo since two meetings took place behind closed doors on March 17 and already several high-profile fixtures have been lost, including at Group One tracks such as Doncaster, Newmarket, York and Newbury.
But for Norton, who has no racing background to speak of and turns 50 next month, there's nothing quite like this week - the week that should have featured the May meeting at Chester, where he holds an outstanding record and, over the years, has garnered a bit of a cult following.
"The first time I went there I was riding for Geoff Wragg and we went quite well around there while I was claiming.
"You hear it in football a lot and I went to Istanbul in 2005 where after the game Steven Gerrard said 'we had a 12th man' – meaning us, the fans in the stands. And when I go to Chester it’s a bit like that, everyone seems to back my horses and they can almost lift them home sometimes.
"But I ride the right horses as well, of course, and come the summer on quick ground it really pays to be out in front which suits a lot of Mark Johnston horses I’m fortunate enough to ride. Early gate speed is crucial as we all know."
Originally from Belle Vale just 20-odd miles over the Mersey, Norton is a local hero for many and the support he receives is not lost on the rider.
Given his effervescent character, it's no wonder Chester brings out the best in him.
He explains: "If you go to a restaurant they never sit you on a square table, you’ll always be seated at a round table and the reason for that is because everyone can be involved in the conversation. Chester has that sort of feel, the action is all around and everybody feels like they're involved.
"You get such a good vibe from the crowds and it’s quite hard to explain. I was there once down at the mile and a quarter start and some people were singing 'there’s only one Franny Norton!’ and the other jockeys were saying ‘what chance have we got?!’, so you can imagine that feeling.
"From the inside to the outer parts of the course, everyone feels a part of it. That isn't necessarily the case at the likes of Sandown, Goodwood or Ascot – there are only certain parts of the track you can go into on the big racedays. Some people don’t even get to see the horses.
"Even standing up on the city wall when you’re not in the racecourse itself, you can feel part of the raceday, that’s what makes it unique.
"And it’s also a track that no matter where the start is, people can get down to see horses coming from the stalls. It’s great that you can go and stand at the seven-furlong start, or the five or the six, or even four furlongs out and see the horses coming and seeing how fast they’re flying round.
"I still remember hearing that sound of horses going to post after I’d led them up when I was 16. It’s amazing and that’s what makes people come back."
Galloping hooves is a sound we're all missing dearly at present and, whether we can get up close and personal or not, a start of any kind would come as welcome relief for many, including Norton.
"Every day is a challenge at the moment and it’s been tough getting through it," he says.
"It’s going to be so strange when we do get back racing, but I literally can’t wait.
"There are provisional programmes in place and it’ll be totally different for a while yet, but anything will do right now."
Mark Howard - The man to have on your side
When one thinks of Chester, one immediately thinks of the local lad Franny Norton.
The Liverpudlian, who started his career in 1991, has become a master around the tight turns of the Roodeye.
Responsible for 30 winners during the last five years at the track, it was fitting he landed the course’s most prestigious prize for the first time last May when steering Making Miracles to a six lengths victory in the Chester Cup. Making virtually all, the Mark Johnston-trained four-year-old ran his opponents into submission in bottomless conditions.
It is Norton’s experience of the course over so many years which stands him in good stead, allied to great strength and guile in the saddle.
It may have only been a claimer but he gave the Ian Williams-trained Aces a superb ride to win from stall seven last summer. He possesses the ability to be in the right place at the right time, especially in sprint races when a low draw is vital.
The Johnston-trained juveniles, in particular, during recent campaigns have benefited enormously from Norton’s expertise.
Chester Racecourse is a very special place to Franny Norton and it invariably brings out the best in him. The fact he is a fellow Liverpool Football supporter is purely coincidental.
Send us your views
Send in your favourite close calls and other contributions to racingfeedback@sportinglife.com while if you’ve any ideas for more topics you want covering over the coming days and weeks, please let us know.
Feedback from readers
Rob Torrie: "I always look when he’s got rides in handicaps..He is one of shrewdest jockeys ever.Ive always thought he’s got a clock in his head.Great judge of pace..
"Many used to say The Kentucky kid ( Steve ) Cauthen also had a clock in his head due to the pace they went in a race..
"Franny is also used by well known Trainers ie Sir M.R Stoute.Whenever he’s put him on one in a handicap it always wins... the same with Joe Fanning.Mr Norton is one of the best out there no question... Mark Johnson is one of the best trainers in the world.. He cannot day enough about him how he teaches horses at home as well on the gallops..HE NOT FASHIONABLE BUT Franny is top draw... look at last years Chester cup.."
Carl: "Don’t get all the hype about Norton around Chester myself,yes he has an average strike rate of 15.7% wins last 10 years but there’s a certain jockey who has a 28.1 % win rate in the same period a certain R.L. Moore."
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