April 2025

Grand National 1973

admin April 29, 2025

It is difficult to argue that Red Rum is not the greatest Grand National horse of all time, having won the the world-famous steeplechase an unprecedented three times, in 1973, 1974 and 1977, and finished second in both the intervening years. However, on the occasion of his first win, on March 31, 1973, despite being sent off as 9/1 joint-favourite, he actually turned out to be the villain of the piece to some extent.

Trained by the inimitable Donald ‘Ginger’ McCain and ridden by Brian Fletcher, Red Rum shared favouritism with the Australian-bred Crisp, trained by Fred Winter and ridden by Richard Pitman. Indeed, it was Crisp who made much of the running and, having established a sizable lead, was left even further clear when his nearest pursuer, Grey Sombrero, fell at The Chair towrds the end of the first circuit. Despite top weight of 12 stone, continued in tremendous style throughout the second circuit and jumping Becher’s Brook was still 20 lengths clear of Red Rum.

Red Rum, who was carrying 10st 5lb, 23lb less than his market rival, started to make steady headway on the run to the third-last fence, but was still fully 15 lengths behind as the pair started off up the infamously long-run in. Agonsingly, approaching the Elbow, Crisp started to wander around under pressure and inside the final furlong the writing was on the wall for the ailing leader. Sir Peter O’Sullevan described the action thus, “Crisp is getting very tired, and Red Rum is pounding after him. Red Rum is the one who’s finishing the strongest. He’s going to get up! Red Rum is going to win the National. At the line Red Rum has just snatched it from Crisp!”

Just three-quarters of a length separated the pair at the line, with a yawning, 25-length gap back to the third horse home, L’Escargot, who had already won the Cheltenham Gold Cup twice and would win the Grand National in 1975. Red Red also set a new course record of 9:1.90, which would stand until 1990.

Grand National 1956

admin April 29, 2025

On March 24, 1956, ESB, trained by Fred Rimmell and ridden by Dave Dick, won the Grand National, coming home 10 lengths ahead of his nearest pursuer, Gentle Moya. However, the bare result masks the fact that, moments earlier, the race had produced one of the biggest shocks in the history of the celebrated steeplechase.

Devon Loch, owned by Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, trained by Peter Cazalet and ridden by Dick Francis, jumped the final fence ahead of ESB and extended his advantage on the run-in. Just yards from the finish line, though, with the race seemingly at his mercy, Devon Loch slithered to the ground in an unflattering belly flop, with his forelegs splayed out in front of him, and his race was over. Devon Loch regained his feet but, believing his mount was injured, Francis quickly dismounted.

However, the racecourse veterinary surgeon subsequently reported Devon Loch perfectly sound afterwards, so the cause of his mishap remains an abiding mystery. Various theories have been suggested, including that Devon Loch slipped on a patch of false ground, collapsed due to cramp and exhaustion or was confused by the sight of the Water Jump – which is jumped only on the first circuit of the Grand National – on his inside. Newsreel footage of the incident does show his front feet leaving the ground, in a fly-jump of sorts, but also that he pricks his ears immediately beforehand. It may well be, as Francis suggested, that Devon Loch, who was making his Grand National debut, was simply overwhelmed by the rising cacophony of noise from the grandstands, in anticipation of a popular Royal winner.

Victory for ESB may have been overshadowed by the bewildering failure of Devon Loch, but he turned out to be the first of a still joint-record four Grand National winners for Fred Rimmell. ‘Mr Grand National’, as he became known, went on to saddle Nicolaus Silver (1961), Gay Trip (1970) and Rag Trade (1976) and shares the record with George Dockeray and Donald ‘Ginger’ McCain.

Derby 1981

admin April 29, 2025

“Where is Shergar?” read the headline in the ‘Daily Express’ on February 10, 1983, the morning after Shergar, the 1981 Derby winner, was spirited away from the Ballymany Stud in Co. Kildare, never to be seen again. No-one has ever officially claimed reponsibility for his kidnapping, although suspicion fell on the Irish Republican Army (IRA) at the height of the Troubles, and his remains have never been found.

On the racecourse, Shergar enjoyed his finest hour – or finest 2 minutes and 44.21 seconds, to be exact – on the undulations of Epsom Downs on June 3, 1981. Owned by Prince Karim al-Husseini, the late Aga Khan IV, and trained by Michael (later Sir Michael) Stoute, Shergar had won both the Sandown Classic Trial and the Chester Vase by wide margins on his two previous starts and was fully expected to win the Derby, being sent off 10/11 favourite in a field of 18 runners.

Nevertheless, his performance at Epsom was nothing less than jaw-dropping. Well placed from the start, Shergar moved sweetly into the lead at the top of the home straight, and when asked for an effort by 19-year-old Walter Swinburn – having his first ride in the Derby – so opened up a clear lead. With still over a furlong left to run, BBC Radio 2 commentator Peter Bromley was already in raptures, exclaiming, “There’s only one horse in it! You need a telescope to see the rest!”

In the closing stages, Swinburn looked over both shoulders, more than once, for non-existent dangers and even had time to give Shergar a pat on the neck as he eased down some distance from the winning post. Even so, the winning margin, of 10 lengths was, and still is, the widest in the history of the Epsom Classic. For the record, Glint Of Gold finished second, and Scintillating Air third, beaten a further two lengths.

King George VI Chase 2011

admin April 29, 2025

The King George VI Chase has been a fixture of the Boxing Day card at Kempton Park since 1947 and its roll of honour includes the likes of Arkle, Pendil, Wayward Lad, Desert Orchid and Best Mate, to name but a handful of its illustrious winners. However, any of those famous names would do well to match the in-running comment recorded in the ‘Racing Post’ following the victory of Kauto Star on December 26, 2011. It read, “Jumped impeccably, prominent, tracked leader 6th, led 8th, stepped up the pace from 12th, about 4 lengths clear from 15th, never going to be caught after, ridden out flat, awesome.”

Superlatives were definitely in order for the by then-11-year-old, who was in the twilight of his racing career, but both trainer Paul Nicholls and jockey Ruby Walsh deserve plaudits for devising, and executing, tactics that allowed Kauto Star to beat his old rival Long Run. Long Run had beaten an out-of-sorts Kauto Star by 19 lengths in the rescheduled renewal of the 2010 King Geoge VI Chase, run in January 2011 and, again, by 11 lengths, in the Cheltenham Gold Cup two months later.

Long Run started even money favourite at Kempton despite being beaten eight lengths by Kauto Star in the Betfair Chase at Haydock the previous month, but the latter was not to be denied in his attempt to win the Boxing Day showpiece for the fifth time in six years. To his credit, Long Run kept trying, despite a mistake at the final fence but, although he closed on the run-in, he was never able to challenge and Kauto Star passed the post a length and a quarter to the good. In so doing, he beat the previous record set by the inimitable Desert Orchid, who won the King George VI Chase four times, in 1986, 1988, 1989 and 1990, and made his swansong appearance in the 1991 renewal.

Cheltenham Gold Cup 1989

admin April 28, 2025

History records that the 1989 Cheltenham Gold Cup was won by the 5/2 favourite by 1½ lengths. Nevertheless, for reasons that will, hopefully, become obvious, the race was subsequently voted the “Greatest Race of All Time” in a poll conducted by the ‘Racing Post’. The aforementioned 5/2 favourite was, of course, the ever-popular grey Desert Orchid who, despite his cramped starting price, actually defied considerable odds to achieve Cheltenham Festival immortality.

Trained by David Elsworth and ridden by Simon Sherwood, Desert Orchid faced 12 opponents, including the two previous Cheltenham Gold Cup winners, The Thinker and Charter Party, and the Irish Gold Cup winner, Carvill’s Hill. Aside from the quality of the opposition, connections were concerned about the state of the going, turned heavy by persistent rainfall, and the fact that, according to Sherwood, “He [Desert Orchid] never liked going left-handed and always lent to the right going on to a fence.”

In any event, Desert Orchid set off in the lead, as was customary, and was left in the lead again at the third-last fence when Ten Plus took a crashing, and ultimately fatal, fall. Rounding the home turn, the mud-loving handicapper Yahoo went on and jumped the second-last, in the words of Sir Peter O’Sullevan, “full of running”. Desert Orchid rallied between the final two fences, though, and was just a length behind Yahoo as the pair cleared the twenty-second and final obstacle. On the infamous climb to the line, Desert Orchid drifted across to the stands side and then, under a right-hand drive from Sherwood, back towards the far side, but continued to make headway with very stride.

“There’s a tremendous cheer from the crowd, as Desert Orchid is gonna win it,” exclaimed O’Sullevan in the closing stages, and he did just that, passing the post 1½ lengths to the good over Yahoo. Charter Party finished third, a respectful eight lengths behind the leading pair, while Bonanza Boy and West Tip were the only one other finishers, beaten a further distance and the same.