John Franks (April 21, 1925 - December 31, 2003) was an American businessman and a

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...

owner and

breeder A breeder is a person who selectively breeds carefully selected mates, normally of the same breed, to sexually reproduce offspring with specific, consistently replicable qualities and characteristics. This might be as a farmer, agriculturalist ...

. A native of

Haughton, Louisiana Haughton is a town in Bossier Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 4,539 in 2020. It is part of the Shreveport– Bossier City metropolitan statistical area. Geography Haughton is located east of Bossier City and east o ...

, he earned a degree in

geology Geology (). is a branch of natural science concerned with the Earth and other astronomical objects, the rocks of which they are composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Earth ...

from

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...

. In 1957, he founded the highly successful Franks Petroleum Inc. and later invested in real estate with Franks Realty LLC. In 1989 he sold his petroleum company to Sonat Inc.

Thoroughbred racing

In 1976, Franks became involved in the

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...

business and would become a leading North American stable owner with a horse farm in

Shreveport, Louisiana Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the List of municipalities in Louisiana, third-most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Baton Rouge. The bulk of Shreveport is in Caddo Parish, Lo ...

plus his own breeding operation in

Ocala, Florida Ocala ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Marion County, Florida, United States. Located in North Central Florida, the city's population was 63,591 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 56,315 at the 2010 census and making ...

. Franks success in Thoroughbred racing saw him become the leading owner at

Louisiana Downs Louisiana Downs Casino & Racetrack is a horse racing track and racino located in Bossier City, Louisiana, Bossier City in northwestern Louisiana. It opened in 1974. The casino features over 800 slot machines. The track specification is a dirt trac ...

Bossier City, Louisiana Bossier City ( ) is a city in Bossier Parish, Louisiana, Bossier Parish in the northwestern region of the U.S. state, state of Louisiana in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in the Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan area ...

for eighteen consecutive years from 1982 through 1999. Nationally, he earned the American

Eclipse Award for Outstanding Owner Eclipse Award for Outstanding Owner is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor for racehorse owners. Created in 1971, it is part of the Eclipse Awards program and is awarded annually. Past winners: *1971 : Mr. & Mrs. E. E. Fogelson *1972 : ...

in 1983, 1984, 1993, and 1994. As at 2007, his four wins remain the most of any owner. In 1993 and 1994 he led all American owners in earnings from racing. Seven times he was the leading owner in races won, taking the title in 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, and 1994. Franks was the owner and/or breeder of more than a dozen horses which earned more than $1 million in their racing careers including

Answer Lively {{Infobox racehorse , horsename = Answer Lively , image = , caption = , sire = Lively One , grandsire = Halo , dam = Twosies Answer , damsire = Two's a Plenty , sex = Stallion , foaled = 1996 , country = United States , colour = Bay , ...

, winner of the 1998

Breeders' Cup Juvenile The Breeders' Cup Juvenile is a Thoroughbred horse race for 2-year-old colts and geldings raced on dirt. It is held annually in late October or early November at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup W ...

who was voted

American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt The American Champion Two-Year-Old Male Horse is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually in Thoroughbred flat racing. It became part of the Eclipse Awards program in 1971. The award originated in 1936 when the ''Daily Racing F ...

. His other horses of note included

Royal Anthem The anthem for a person, office or rank is music played on formal or ceremonial occasions in the presence of the person, office-holder, or rank-holder, especially by a military band. The head of state in many countries is honored with a prescrib ...

, Sharp Cat, Heatherten and Kissin Kris. In poor health, in 2002 the seventy-seven-year-old Franks undertook a liquidation of his horse racing and breeding operations. He died on December 31, 2003, at the WK Pierremont Health Center in Shreveport, Louisiana. In his memory, three

racetracks A race track (racetrack, racing track or racing circuit) is a facility built for racing of vehicles, athletes, or animals (e.g. horse racing or greyhound racing). A race track also may feature grandstands or concourses. Race tracks are also us ...

have named races for him. In 1992, Franks was inducted into the

Fair Grounds Racing Hall of Fame The Fair Grounds Racing Hall of Fame was created in 1971 by the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to t ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Franks, John A. 1925 births 2003 deaths American businesspeople in the oil industry 20th-century American geologists American racehorse owners and breeders Eclipse Award winners Louisiana State University alumni People from Haughton, Louisiana