World of racing mourns National treasure

GINGER McCain’s love affair with the Grand National – his enduring exploits with the three-time winner Red Rum are credited with saving the world’s greatest steeplechase – could be encapsulated by his response to his son’s triumph earlier this year.

“You win one Grand National and think it’s the greatest moment of your life, but it’s like going to bed with good-looking women – once you’ve been there you want to go back again,” the indefatigable 80-year-old told the Yorkshire Post.

Endearing and exasperating in equal measure, this was Ginger McCain – politically incorrect to the end. As his son, Donald, celebrated his training success with Ballabriggs, his father whispered to a journalist: “Ask him where he got his brains from.”

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Always mischievous – he sparked a sexism row in 2005 when he claimed a woman jockey could never win the Grand National – McCain, who died yesterday after a short illness, trained Red Rum to win an unrivalled three Nationals before saddling Amberleigh House to victory in 2004 when North Yorkshire rider Graham Lee timed a winning run to perfection.

“Obviously Red Rum was a great horse but, for him to do it again with Amberleigh House, it showed he could do it with more than one horse,” said Lee, stable jockey at Ferdy Murphy’s West Witton yard.

“I will be forever grateful that he gave me the chance and it was special that he saw Donald win a fifth National for the McCain family.”

McCain began a modest training career in 1953 and took out a full licence in 1969 when his stables were behind his used car showroom in Southport. He also worked as a taxi driver to supplement his income prior to finding Grand National success. It was while driving his cab that he met Noel le Mare and persuaded him to buy Red Rum, the salt water helping to soothe the horse’s fragile legs.

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“We had one of the best all-weather gallops in the country, and the best swimming pool, and the water was great for his legs,” McCain would recall as the BBC’s build-up to each National was traditionally preceded by stirring footage of Red Rum in full flight on Southport Beach.

And, although McCain passed on the training reins to his son after Amberleigh House’s triumph, he will always be associated with Red Rum.

For, without that little horse overhauling long-time leader Crisp in the agonising final strides of the 1973 race, winning again in the 1974 and then galloping into immortality in 1977, there is little doubt that Aintree would have been sold to property developers.

Another endearing image was McCain leading Red Rum into the BBC Sports Personality of the Year studio and the horse pricking his ears when he heard the words of Tommy Stack, the 1977-winning jockey who was speaking from a Leeds hospital bed where he was recovering from serious injury.

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With Red Rum buried near the famous Aintree winning post, McCain would always place flowers on the horse’s grave prior to each National and claim, justifiably so, that “Rummy’s” record would never be equalled. The trainer’s pride was palpable.

McCain also struck up an unlikely friendship with the equally forthright Jenny Pitman who had become the first woman to train the National winner in 1983. “Ginger’s words when Red Rum died come to mind – ‘We’ll miss the old bugger’,” she said.

“Ginger is just irreplaceable. We’ve known one another a very long time. We didn’t always see eye to eye, but it was all done with good humour.”

Champion jockey Tony McCoy, who won a first National last year at the 15th attempt, said: “What he achieved was amazing. I know how difficult it is to win one Grand National and it looks impossible to win two.”

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A private funeral for McCain, who would have been 81 tomorrow, will be followed by a public memorial service, his widow Beryl said.

Ginger helped to save iconic race

The “voice of racing”, Sir Peter O’Sullevan, commentated on all of Red Rum’s Nationals for the BBC and believes McCain played a big part in helping to save the race.

“It was a career of remarkable achievement,” said Sir Peter. “He will always be remembered for Red Rum and rightly so, because he and the horse were very much instrumental in saving the National at a period when it was very much in peril.

“Red Rum had a remarkable record. Five runs in the National, three victories and two seconds – unbelievable. And then he won it again years later with Amberleigh House. He was a professional curmudgeon and he goes leaving behind very good memories.”

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