Dick Francis (1920 – )

He had a successful career as a jockey, winning over 350 races. From 1953 to 1957 he was jockey to Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. He was forced to retire from racing as the result of a serious fall in 1957. His most famous moment as a jockey came while riding the Queen Mother's horse, Devon Loch, in the 1956 Grand National: the horse inexplicably fell when close to winning the race.

His first book was his autobiography, Odds Against).

An unauthorised biography, Dick Francis: A Racing Life, suggested that the books had in fact been written by Mary, Dick Francis's wife.