In the colorful history of England’s Grand National, only one horse has managed to win the most prestigious steeplechase in the world three times. It is a race so challenging that it is not uncommon to have less than 20 percent of the field actually finish the race. To finish the race in three separate years is an accomplishment most trainers would boast about. But, to win the race three times (while adding an additional two second place finishes) is an accomplishment unlikely to be repeated in the modern racing world.
Some fifteen years after his death, no horse has come close to capturing the hearts and minds of his country like Red Rum did in his native England. His death made the front pages of the national newspapers and his name is still probably the first that non-turf fans will give when asked to name a racehorse.
He was bred in Ireland to be a sprinter. Quorum was the sire and Mared the dam – hence the name Red Rum, the last three letters of the mother and father’s name. As a yearling, he sold for a mere 400 guineas. He then proceeded to be kicked around from trainer to trainer, winning a couple of flat races of little consequence.
Disaster then struck as the horse was diagnosed as suffering from pedalostitis, a debilitating bone disease which can cripple horses. After intense therapy and medication, Red Rum recovered to run again and in 1972, he placed 5th in the Scottish Grand National. However, even in that race he appeared less than 100% and showed to be gimpy down the stretch.
McCain and Red Rum, taking part in their legendary training sessions along the Irish Sea.
At this point most of the serious players in the equestrian landscape had written off the young gelding. But, for Donald “Ginger” McCain, a taxi driver who aspired to be a full time horse trainer, Red Rum was the opportunity of a lifetime.
McCain ran a small stable behind a used-car showroom in Southport, Merseyside. He had watched Rum’s last race in the Scottish National and saw some untapped potential. However, untapped potential has been the downfall of most aspiring trainers. The hard fact is most next big things in the equestrian world never come to fruition.
But, McCain had an investor. The elderly Noel Le Mare had a passion for horses and had long dreamed of winning the Grand National. In Red Rum, there was the potential to buy a horse that might be able to brave the National course for a fraction of what a more seasoned horse would cost.
In 1972, for 6000 guineas Red Rum was purchased by McCain. McCain trained his horses on a stretch of the Southport coast along the Irish Sea. He reasoned the sand and the salt water were good for a horse’s leg ailments. The treatment worked wonders for Red Rum. He almost instantly showed no signs of the pedalostitis that had hampered him throughout his career.
Red Rum after his first victory at the Grand National in 1973.
Healthy and with a new lease on life, Red Rum proceeded to win his next five races and as a consequence started the favorite for the 1973 Grand National. Ironically, Red Rum was the villain of the piece in his first victory in a race that witnessed one of the classic Grand National finishes. Crisp, then the crowd favorite, had led for the entire second circuit and jumped the final fence more than 15 lengths clear of Red Rum, under jockey Brian Fletcher. But Crisp was tiring dramatically and Red Rum, carrying 23 pounds less, managed to reel in his rival on the notoriously long run-in to snatch victory on the winning line by just three-quarters of a length. At the age of 84, owner Le Mare, had achieved his lifelong dream.
The time of nine minutes, 1.9 seconds set a new record, 20 seconds faster than the previous best mark, and one which would stand for another 16 years.
The following year it was Red Rum’s turn to shoulder the top weight and, guided once again by Fletcher, he cruised home to become the first – and to date last – back-to-back winner since 1936. Three weeks later, he won the Scottish Grand National. He is the only horse to have achieved this double.
The 1975 and 1976, he finished second in the Grand National and was widely thought to be retiring from competitive racing. By the time the 1977 Grand National came round, Red Rum was a 12-year-old and was generally seen to be a spent force. But, McCain decided to give him one more shot at glory. In what has become one of England’s favorite sporting coups – Red Rum came home with a 25 length victory. A legend was born as no horse had ever won the race three times.
The bronze statue of Red Rum at Aintree, commemorating the horse's dominance at the Grand National.
Rum was prepared for a sixth attempt at the Grand National the following season but suffered a hairline fracture the day before and was subsequently retired. Red Rum died in 1995 at the age of 30 and was fittingly buried by the winning post on the Grand National course at Aintree.
Tags: Aintree Race Course, Donald Ginger McCain, Grand National, Noel Le Mare, Red Rum, steeplechase horse racing