Sid Halley

Sid Halley (John Sidney Halley) is a fictional character (a former Champion Jockey) and private detective who is the central character in four Dick Francis novels, Odds Against, Whip Hand, Come to Grief and Under Orders. He is the only central character to appear in more than two Francis novels, and one of only two to appear more than once.

Early life

Halley was born to a single mother, due to her fiance's death at age 20 (though a newspaper report in "Come to Grief" says he was 19) only three days before the wedding in a fall from a high ladder while earning extra money on overtime. Eight months after his father's death, Halley was born. Halley's mother, aged 19 at his birth, was a window cleaner from the Liverpool slums, who later worked as a biscuit packer. Halley's boyhood home was Liverpool. She died when Halley was 15 of an obscure kidney ailment. Before she died, she pulled Halley from grammar school and apprenticed him to a Newmarket racing trainer.

Halley's master not only trained him in horses, but to invest the money that the young jockey earned. In addition, the elderly trainer (who died soon after) educated the young jockey in speech and manners, and in much else in life. The young man was not only a rising jockey by the time he completed his indentures, but also had been reputed to have won a small fortune on the stock market.

Halley became a successful jockey, rising to become champion jockey--a status he held for "five or six years". During his early career, before he achieved success, he married Jenny Roland, daughter of retired Rear Admiral Charles Roland. The marriage produced no children and was never a great success, and while Halley was Champion Jockey, his wife gave him an ultimatum--racing or her. Halley chose racing. The two separated while Halley was still racing, and a divorce followed between the events of the first two books. Despite this, Halley had become close to Charles Roland (after a very rocky start) and the friendship persisted.

Halley was injured in a racing accident, crippling his left hand--making it a useless appendage--and ending his racing career. After a fall, a horse had stepped directly on his hand. Despite several operations, the hand had little utility. It was further damaged by the villain in Odds Against, resulting in its amputation. Throughout most of the rest of the series, Halley struggles to come to terms with the loss of his hand.

In the book "Under Orders" he gets married to Marina Van Der Meer.