‘Just one last thing,’ says Franny Norton and those words are fitting, both for this conversation and his situation.
Norton had one last thing to do at Chester on Saturday, the place where they call him ‘the King’, before hanging up the saddle he has carried for 36 years.
Retirement has been knocking at his door for 12 months.
Had it been up to him, there would have been no fuss, just handshakes in the weighing room before quietly disappearing. Others — led by his three children, daughters Rumha (22) and Talia (16) and son Shea (18) — were adamant he had to announce his retirement.
The subsequent deluge of good wishes proved the kids were right. Perhaps they knew what was coming. Three winners — Raneen, Small Fry and Qitaal — brought the house down and guaranteed the party for him and 100 guests went long into the night.
Franny Norton called time on his glittering racing career after 36 years in the saddle
Norton announced his retirement at Chester Racecourse in front of his three children
At 54 years of age, Norton knew it was the right time to move on from being a jockey
Norton was 54 in July and while his physical condition is exemplary — he was 7st 13lb when he stepped on the scales before racing and could double for a flyweight boxer — he knows the time is right to move on. That, however, does not mean it is easy.
How could it be when it has been his life? Norton grew up in Belle Vale, a council estate in Liverpool, and got ‘my education on the streets’, but is smart and his gift of the gab could talk birds out of trees. He is comfortable in any situation, as this story demonstrates.
‘I sat with the late Queen and had a one-to-one with her and I could sit with the roughest kid around and have a conversation with them the same,’ he explains. ‘Racing is where all parts of society meet.’
His meeting with Her Majesty was arranged after Norton struck up a successful alliance with one of her horses, Banknote. The pair had landed a Group Three at Baden-Baden in May 2007, but before leaving the course he had to take a phone call.
‘They take it very seriously in Germany, so being successful in the royal colours was a big thing,’ he says. ‘We’re getting dragged from pillar-to-post for pictures, everyone was going wild.
‘Next thing Sir Michael Oswald (the Queen’s racing manager) hands me a phone. I hear her voice: “Francis, it’s the Queen. Very well done”. She starts talking about the race, but in my other hand my own phone starts ringing. It’s my daughter. So I answer, lift it to my ear and whisper, ‘Can’t talk! On the phone to the Queen!’ It’s no use. “Ma’am,” I say, “I’m awfully sorry — my daughter is on the other phone”. “It’s no problem,” she tells me. “What’s her name?” I was a bit shocked so I tell her Rumha. “What a very nice name”.’
He’s in full swing now, recreating the scene as if talking into two handsets.
‘I say to Rumha, “the Queen wants you to know you’ve got a lovely name”. So she says, “Dad, tell her I said thank you! Ask her if she’s happy about the horse!”. I’m relaying this to the Queen and I can’t believe what’s happening. “Yes, Ru! She’s very happy!”. It was absolutely fantastic.’
Norton had a phone call with the late Queen and his daughter at the same time
Norton rode one of the late Queen’s horses to victory in Germany nearly 20 years ago
The conversation resumed in person at Ascot the next month and Norton remembers he was unexpectedly successful on 33-1 shot Binanti in the Buckingham Palace Stakes, having told Her Majesty his prospects were slim.
Given he is such a raconteur, Norton — who finished with a tally of 1907 winners — would be a roaring success on the after-dinner circuit, but it would be a travesty if he was lost from racing. He is a fountain of knowledge on all subjects, not least the importance of lifestyle and nutrition.
‘I was actually interviewed last week for a job,’ he reveals. ‘It was the first interview I’ve had. It was with Dame Kelly Holmes, to be a sporting mentor.
‘I don’t know how I got on. It’s all about showing kids the importance of the mindset, the dedication you need to be an athlete. It’s about getting kids to believe in themselves and give everyone an equal opportunity. If I could pass that on, it would be brilliant.’
