Picture of the day – April 2

Red Rum died in 1995 after a glittering career.

Red Rum prevailed on three occasions during the Grand National in the 1970s to earn a special place among the pantheon of horse racing greats.

The Irish gelding, trained by Ginger McCain, carried Brian Fletcher to glory in 1973 and 1974, in the first instance setting a new record time of nine minutes and 1.9 seconds in the gruelling race.

Red Rum backed up his 1974 triumph with victory in the Scottish Grand National, remaining the only horse to win both in the same season.

He finished runner-up in both 1975 and 1976, where Tommy Stack was installed as the horse’s jockey following a fallout between Fletcher and McCain.

Despite concerns that Red Rum’s best days were behind him, he continued his love affair with Aintree by galloping clear of the pack to claim a historic third title in 1977.

Injuries led to Red Rum’s retirement days before the following year’s Grand National and he died on 18 October, 1995, aged 30.

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