Red Rum was a champion
ThoroughbredThe Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
racehorse who achieved an unmatched historic treble when he won the
Grand NationalThe Grand National is a world-famous National Hunt horse race which is held annually at Aintree Racecourse, near Liverpool, England. It is a handicap chase run over a distance of four miles and 856 yards , with horses jumping thirty fences over two circuits of Aintree's National Course...
in
1973The 1973 Grand National was the 127th renewal of the world-famous Grand National horse race that took place at the Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool, England, on 31 March 1973....
, 1974 and
1977The 1977 Grand National was the 131st renewal of the world-famous Grand National horse race that took place at Aintree near Liverpool, England, on 2 April 1977....
, and also came second in the two intervening years. As well as his unprecedented record in the world-famous steeplechase, a notoriously difficult race that has been referred to as being "the ultimate test of a horse’s courage", Red Rum was also renowned for his remarkable jumping ability (he fell only once in over 100 races).
Red Rum's 1973 comeback victory from 30 lengths behind is often considered one of the greatest Grand Nationals in history. In a 2002 UK poll, Red Rum's historic third triumph in the Grand National was voted the 24th greatest sporting moment of all time.
Early life
Red Rum was bred at Rossenarra
studA stud farm or stud in animal husbandry, is an establishment for selective breeding of livestock. The word "stud" comes from the Old English stod meaning "herd of horses, place where horses are kept for breeding" Historically, documentation of the breedings that occur on a stud farm leads to the...
in
KellsKells is a village in County Kilkenny in Ireland. It is about 15 km south of Kilkenny. It is situated on high ground to the south of the Kings River.Kells Priory though in ruins, is one of the best preserved in Ireland....
,
County KilkennyCounty Kilkenny is a county in Ireland. It is part of the South-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the city of Kilkenny. The territory of the county was the core part of the ancient Irish Kingdom of Osraige which in turn was the core of the Diocese of...
,
IrelandIreland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, by Martyn McEnery. His sire was Quorum (1954-?). Bred to win one-mile races, he won his National titles over the longest distance, four miles and four furlongs. "Rummy" started off in life running in cheap races as a sprinter and dead-heated in a five-furlong flat race at
Aintree RacecourseAintree Racecourse is a racecourse in Aintree, Merseyside, England.It was served by Aintree Racecourse railway station until the station closed in the 1960s....
. In his early career he was once ridden by
Lester PiggottLester Keith Piggott is a retired English professional jockey, popularly known as "The Long Fellow". With 4,493 career wins, including nine Epsom Derby victories, he is one of the most well-known English flat racing jockeys of all time....
. After being passed from training yard to training yard, he found his footing when Liverpool car dealer
Ginger McCainDonald "Ginger" McCain was an English National Hunt trainer, perhaps best known for training the legendary horse Red Rum. A successful trainer who won many races, he trained Red Rum on Crosby beach near Liverpool...
bought him for his client Noel le Mare and famously trained the horse on the sands at
SouthportSouthport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. During the 2001 census Southport was recorded as having a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England...
, Merseyside, England. Galloping through sea water worked wonders on Red Rum’s feet.
McCain, who also won the Grand National in 2004 with
Amberleigh HouseAmberleigh House was the horse that won the 2004 Grand National. He is now retired and living at the National Stud in Newmarket.-Staff:Amberleigh House was trained by legend Ginger McCain, and was usually ridden by jockey Graham Lee, amongst others...
, thirty-one years after his first victory with Red Rum, reportedly took Red Rum for a therapeutic swim in the sea off Southport before his first National appearances to help treat the horse's pedalostitis, a debilitating, incurable bone disease in his foot.
Grand National record
At the
1973 Grand NationalThe 1973 Grand National was the 127th renewal of the world-famous Grand National horse race that took place at the Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool, England, on 31 March 1973....
, Red Rum beat the Australian chaser
CrispCrisp was a champion steeplechase horse. He was a bay Thoroughbred gelding that was foaled in 1963 in Australia. In his native country, he won many important jumping races, particularly two-milers, including the Hiskens Steeplechase in 1969 and 1970. So well did he jump, he was nicknamed "The Black...
, carrying 23 pounds more, in what was a new record time of nine minutes, 1.9 seconds. Crisp had led the field virtually all the way in that year's National in which he was 30 lengths clear, and at the last fence was 15 lengths clear of his nearest pursuer, Red Rum. However, ridden by jockey
Brian FletcherBrian Fletcher is an English Jockey notable for riding the horse Red Rum to win the Grand National in 1973 and 1974 and for second place in 1975. He first won the Grand National at the age of 19, in 1968 riding Red Alligator. He retired in 1976 with head injury...
, the power, speed and jumping ability of Red Rum ensured he made up the ground on the final stretch and, two strides from the finishing post, pipped the tiring Crisp to win by three-quarters of a length in what is often considered one of the greatest Grand Nationals in history. Crisp's jockey
Richard PitmanRichard Pitman, is a retired jump jockey who rode 470 winners in his career including Lanzarote in the 1974 Champion Hurdle). He also won the King George VI Chase at Kempton Park Racecourse twice, the Whitbread Gold Cup once and the Hennessy Gold Cup once....
later stated: "I still dream about that race, of Crisp running so strongly and jumping so fearlessly, and then the sound of Red Rum's hooves as he got closer and closer at the end." He added: "I felt as though I was tied to a railway line with an express train thundering up and being unable to jump out of the way." A year later, Red Rum retained his title at the 1974 National, carrying 12 stone on his back.
Red Rum came second in 1975 and 1976;
Tommy StackTommy Stack is a former National Hunt racing jockey and current National Hunt trainer. As a jockey, he is probably best-known for piloting Red Rum to a third Grand National victory. Stack was National Hunt Champion Jockey for the 1974-75 and 1976-77 seasons. He got his first trainer's license in...
replaced Fletcher as jockey in the latter race after Fletcher had angered trainer
Ginger McCainDonald "Ginger" McCain was an English National Hunt trainer, perhaps best known for training the legendary horse Red Rum. A successful trainer who won many races, he trained Red Rum on Crosby beach near Liverpool...
by telling the press the horse no longer felt right after a defeat in a race away from Aintree. Again, Red Rum saved his best for Aintree but was held off by Rag Trade. The following year, Stack rode the 12-year-old Red Rum to his record third Grand National triumph, in what is regarded as one of the greatest moments in horse racing history.
Retirement
Red Rum was prepared for a sixth attempt at the Grand National the season following his 1977 win, but suffered a hairline fracture the day before the 1978 race and was subsequently retired.
However, "Rummy" had become a national celebrity, opening supermarkets and annually leading the Grand National parade for many further years. His likeness graced playing cards, mugs, posters, models, paintings, plates, and jigsaw puzzles. Several books have been written about Red Rum by his trainer, sculptor, jockeys, and author Ivor Herbert; a memorable children's story about his life was also written by Christine Pemberton. The horse helped open the
SteeplechaseThe Steeplechase is a three tracked racing roller coaster at Pleasure Beach Blackpool in Blackpool, England. It was opened in 1977. It was a custom design and made by Arrow Dynamics. The ride was officially opened by Grand National winner Red Rum whose hoof print was also taken and is on display...
rollercoaster at
Blackpool Pleasure BeachPleasure Beach Blackpool is a family owned amusement park and resort situated along the Fylde coast in Blackpool, England. It is the most visited amusement park in the United Kingdom, and one of the top twenty most-visited amusement parks in the world with an estimate of 5.5 million visitors in...
in 1977. In 1975 a song was issued as a tribute to him by a group named Chaser entitled "Red Rum", on Polydor 2058 564. It was written by Steve Jolley, Richard Palmer and Tony Swain. In 2010, the name of the racecourse Bar, formerly called "The Sefton" was changed into "The Red Rum".
Death and legacy
Red Rum died on 18 October 1995, aged 30. His death made the front pages of national newspapers.
He was buried at the winning post of the
Aintree RacecourseAintree Racecourse is a racecourse in Aintree, Merseyside, England.It was served by Aintree Racecourse railway station until the station closed in the 1960s....
which is still a destination for his fans today. The
epitaphAn epitaph is a short text honoring a deceased person, strictly speaking that is inscribed on their tombstone or plaque, but also used figuratively. Some are specified by the dead person beforehand, others chosen by those responsible for the burial...
reads "Respect this place / this hallowed ground / a legend here / his rest has found / his feet would fly / our spirits soar / he earned our love for evermore".
Eleven years after his death, a survey found he remained the best-known racehorse in the UK. When asked to name an equine animal, Red Rum was named by 45% of Britons, with
Black BeautyBlack Beauty is an 1877 novel by English author Anna Sewell. It was composed in the last years of her life, during which she remained in her house as an invalid. The novel became an immediate bestseller, with Sewell dying just five months after its publication, long enough to see her first and only...
in second with 33%.
In the early 1970s, the future running of the Grand National was uncertain. The emergence of Red Rum and his historic triumphs captivated the nation, and ensured huge public support for the fund to buy Aintree and put it in the hands of the
Jockey ClubThe Jockey Club is the largest commercial organisation in British horseracing. Although no longer responsible for the governance and regulation of the sport, it owns 14 of Britain's famous racecourses, including Aintree, Cheltenham and Newmarket, amongst other concerns such as the National Stud and...
.
On 19 September 2011, Red Rum's trainer Ginger McCain died aged 80.
Commemorations
- Red Rum Handicap Chase
The Red Rum Handicap Chase is a Grade 3 National Hunt chase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run on the Mildmay course at Aintree over a distance of about 2 miles , and during its running there are twelve fences to be jumped...
at Aintree
- Red Rum has statues at Aintree Racecourse, and in Southport.
- Merseyrail
Merseyrail is a train operating company and commuter rail network in the United Kingdom, centred on Liverpool, Merseyside. The network is predominantly electric with diesel trains running on the City Line. Two City Line branches are currently being electrified on the overhead wire AC system with...
has named one of their trains in Red Rum's honour as part of a Merseyside Legends programme.
External links