The Grand National is one of the most-watched Steeplechase races on the planet. Punters and horse racing enthusiasts alike have a silent admiration for the owners and trainers and respect for the jockeys and horses that compete in this grueling test of stamina and fortitude.
Which Horse has Won the Most Grand Nationals ?Red Rum is the only horse in Grand National history to have won the race three times, and on the two instances that he did not win, he finished second.
During Red Rum’s ten-year career, he had twenty-four different riders, including Lester Piggott, and five trainers, yet he still managed to win three flat races, three hurdle races, and 21 steeplechases.
Red Rum was bred to go quickly on the Flat. His father, Quorum, finished second in the 2000 Guineas, but his mother, Mared, was scarcely trainable due to her erratic temperament. Red Rum won three races on the Flat before transferring to the jumping code, which is generally forgotten. This is a tale steeped in racing history of a horse bred to win sprint races on the Flat to becoming the most fearsome Grand National challenger of all time.
Red Rum – Humble Beginnings
Red Rum was a seven-year-old unknown when he was purchased by a small-time trainer from Lancashire in 1972. Ginger McCain, a former second-hand car salesman. Ginger paid 6,000gns for a supposedly second-hand thoroughbred whom he housed in his run-down stables outside his used-vehicle dealership in the tranquil neighborhood of Birkdale.
Red Rum had been a cripple since the day he arrived, but Ginger saw promise where others saw despair. He’d met a frequent client of his by the name of Noel le Mare during his cab-driving days. Noel, who was 84 at the time and knew that his life’s ambition of owning the winner of the Grand National was, unfortunately, running out of time, and eventually caved.
Noel would give Ginger money to purchase a horse, and Red Rum would join the other equine outcasts under Ginger’s care. He had previously taxed the patience of four previous trainers without ever hinting at the heights he would reach at Aintree – though he did dead-heat there as a two-year-old over five furlongs on the Flat.
Red Rum – Not a straightforward Purchase
Red Rum, or Rummie as he was to be called, had foot issues and seemed lame immediately after Donald (Ginger) McCain obtained the horse. However, after giving Red Rum a training gallop in seawater, this seemed to assist the horse and Ginger kept doing this and it seemed to alleviate the pain in the affected areas. Red Rum’s apparent passion for racing served him well, and it is worth noting that he never truly fell in a race, even though he once unseated his rider at Haydock Racecourse.
Red Rum – His First Two Wins and Second Places
Red Rum’s first Grand National win was in 1973, and the story of how he beat the big Australian horse Crisp was one of heartbreak and sadness for the supporters and Crisp, whereas the determination and courage to close down the free striding Crisp on the run-in was the beginning of one of the greatest stories in horseracing history. Rummie was 20 lengths or more behind for the majority of the race, and it was only his determination that kept him in the race and allowed him to chase down Crisp to win his first Grand National, running past the Australian Champion in the shadow of the post.
A year later, it was Red Rum who was carrying the 12 stone burden that Crisp carried the year before, and despite that, he went on to win consecutive nationals and so began the public love affair with the chaser, the likes of which was not seen in the United Kingdom for many decades previously.
Rummie was knocked into second place in both 1975 and 1976, despite putting up a strong defence of his winning runs in 1973 and 1974. In 1975, he faced twice Gold Cup winner L’Escargot and had to give him 11lbs, but he was still in front at the last. However, the ground was particularly soft that day, which Red Rum did not enjoy. Therefore, the combination of giving weight and the soft ground forced him to surrender to L’Escargot.
In 1976, he took on another outstanding horse, Rag Trade, and was forced to carry top weight for the third year in a row. He was unable to give him the 12lbs, and although never giving up and closing in on him in the straight, he finished second again in 1977.
Red Rum – His Third Win
In 1977, Red Rum was entered for the National to try and attain winning it for the third time, but this time as a twelve years old. His season was already planned to offer him the best opportunity to win his third National, despite him not producing his best in those Races. Not many 12-year-olds win the race, and some racing analysts believed he would not be able to handle the exacting Aintree Course at such an advanced age.
Red Rum’s greatest strength was his ability to measure each fence with the least amount of effort possible and there was something about Aintree, then a run-down old dive, that piqued his interest. He was an equestrian embodiment of a working-class hero and his trainer was very confident that on the day he would be able to produce his best.
He still had to carry top weight this year, but the top weight had dropped to 11th 8lbs. Rummy had no problems with any of the fences that year and raced freely throughout the race. Taking the lead immediately after Becher’s and continuing to widen the distance between him and his rivals, until he won by an astounding 25 lengths. He had become a National Hero.
Red Rum – The Peoples Champion
Red Rum is arguably the most famous racehorse ever, not only for exploits on the track but also for contributing to saving the most iconic horse race in the world. By the start of the 1970s, the Grand National was facing extinction due to disputes over ownership of the Aintree racecourse, poor attendance, and the general state of the facilities. Red Rum turned all those statistics around, just by being such a Superstar in the Horseracing World.
Thus a horse afflicted with pedal osteitis, an incurable disease of the bone within the foot, from a downtrodden and humble stable, with an ageing owner, went on to win three Grand Nationals and come second in two others.
During this period, Red Rum became an iconic national figure at a time when the Grand National itself was in jeopardy. His significance in the history of the Grand National and the Liverpool course will be remembered forever, THE Peoples Champion.