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“Richard, you’re 33 lengths clear, kick on and you’ll win!”.
Featuring the greatest understatement in the history of sports commentary. ie, “Red Rum is the one that’s finishing the strongest”.
We’ve all watched the extended full race coverage on YouTube several times, but today it’s well worth looking at again. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdNRXtRnHqk&t=1s
Sorry if it’s a bit cliched to talk about that race here, but I thought the golden anniversary merited a mention.
Thanks for the reminder QF. I will watch it again later. Crisp will still not hold on to win, alas.
Well worth the reminder – thank you, sir!
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"In trying to give 23lbs to the winner one could argue it was the greatest Grand National horse being beaten by the greatest Grand National legend.
Here is Richard Pitman talking about the race, plus a few more National memories. His prediction at the end came true.
Thanks for posting those links both, watching the race itself breaks my heart everytime, and that interview with Richard Pitman was fascinating, hadn’t seen that before.
It’s made me feel ancient watching the race again though, on the 50th anniversary, as can remember watching it on the day as if it was yesterday! I’d been out all day and successfully managed to avoid hearing the result, so got home to watch the replay, warning parents not to tell me who had won, so Mum, bless her, said no of course we won’t tell you, Dad’s a bit cross though as his horse didn’t win, and i already knew he had put his half crown on Crisp
Happy memories!
Thanks for pointing this date out QF. What a race, and two totally wonderful horses. I don’t think I could ever tire of watching it.
I was there.
Backed Grey Sombrero which fell at the chair and was put down.I've stumbled on the side of twelve misty mountains
I've walked and I crawled on six crooked highwaysHere’s Richard talking to me about it 10 years ago
Hear Richard Pitman talk for 15 minutes about that great race 50 Years ago @Richard44158292 https://t.co/GMwu2SdN26
— Joe McNally (@steeplechasing) March 31, 2023
Great interview, especially with the bloke in the green sweater asking the right questions and not interrupting Richard Pitman as it happens way too often nowadays.
Thx for sharing.
I’ll have a light and bitter and a neat rum chaser shaken at the last.
What will you be havin darlin ?
” I fancy a Moscow Mule and a packet of prawn and cocktail Crisps ”
Hallo – Where’s be gone ?
A delightful thread – finished work yesterday then opened a bottle of Primitivo ( wine club not supermarket!), watched a Morse and an early Two Ronnies from my box sets, then went through this thread viewing all the material from the links.
Billy Ellison was Rummy’s lad in the early days,followed by Billy Beardwood who had a couple of rides as a conditional. He left the yard in the 80’s going on to breaking in and pre training horses with a tiny older chap nicknamed (without much imagination) ‘Jockey’. He passed away in his 40’s – think it may have been a cardiac.
It was Fred Winter who trained Crisp on these shores, he arrived November 1970 aged 7. Fred had ridden 2 winners himself (Sundrew 1957 & Kilmore 1962) and Trained another 2 (Jay Trump 1965 & Anglo 1966) but it was Crisp Fred thinks was his best horse he was involved with. Crisp had 2 main jockeys Richard Pitman (who rode him in the Grand National itself) and Paul Kelleway.
Sir Chester Manifold (owner of Crisp) sent him to England, on the way he had won the Colonial Cup in South Carolina, to have a try at our Gold Cup (Cheltenham). He was entered for it in his second season, but had shown sensational form over 2 miles the was doubts whether he’ll last. His style of running was from the front,(as you can see from the 1973 Grand National). They did at first tried to settle him, but felt frustrated when restrained. With the view that he couldn’t stay the decision was taken to go for the Queen Mum Champion Chase. His former Australian rider Tommy McGinley was convinced that holding him up was wrong.
He was alloted top weight when he was tried in the Grand National, Fred and Richard had discussed tactics, if they held him up, there was a danger his spectacular jumping would land him on another horse, so to lead and control the pace from the front. This was fine in theory, but Crisp had other ideas, and set the pace for the fastest time up to Mr Frisk (1990, who was aided by unusually fast ground). Richard lined Crisp on the inside, (Fred’s favourite position). The drop fences was bigger there, but with little chance of interference. The fences was no problem to Crisp, he showed confidence to his rider. Richard was little more than a passenger on Crisp’s back, but Richard was concerned too about Crisp’s Stamina expecting it to peter out before halfway.
On the second circuit his stamina was still strong and because he ran on the inside, brushing the marker post at the Canal Turn (first circuit), he had built up a 30 length lead. Red Rum had started to give chase as Crisp cleared Bechers on the second circuit.
It was at the second to last fence (29th) that Crisp had began to falter, and Crisp’s legs instead of stretching forward began swinging sideways as if he was drunk. On the run in Richard blames himself for what happened next. Quoting Richard “Crisp was out on his feet but I made the basic riding error of picking up my stick in my right hand, with the inention of waking him up. He just fell away from it towards the left and away from the angle of the racecourse. I had to put down the whip, gather him up again, and get him back on course for the Elbow, where there was the running rail to guide him. I am stuck with that mistake for the rest of my life and I know someone like John Francome would not have made it. I lost the National for all those people who deserve to win it: the owner; Fred Winter, the trainer; the horse’s lad Chippy Chape.”
Red Rum was seen as the villain that day but with another four runs would be known as a legend winning twice more and second twice inbetween those wins, as for Crisp he lived until he was 21 and died of a heart attack out galloping and jumping with the Zetland.
You've got to accentuate the positive.
Eliminate the negative.
Latch on to the affirmative.
Don't mess with mister in between.Considering what Red Rum achieved you.ve got to say it was a monumental weight carrying run by Crisp , something you just don’t really see these days , I homme presse in the Rehersal the only real example I can think of this season
Pick 3 on Saturday champion 2025/2026
50 years on and I wonder how the race would have panned out over the smaller plastic fences of today?
My dad came home on day in the 70s with a framed pic of Red Rum, signed ‘to Liam from Red Rum and Billy Elliot.’ Don’t the full story about how he got it, and in those days I was a bit dismissive of National winners compared to the Gold Cup, but I still have it.
Just to tidy up what I wrote on Billy Beardwood as it was done on memory without a search to be more precise – he passed away in 1998 at the young age of exactly 40.
Have checked his record as a conditional rider in the old Timeform Annuals – he was listed in 1975 as W.A.Beardwood, then became W.A.J Beardwood from 1976 onwards. He rode four winners in all, one in 77/78 and three in 80/81. His riding career concluded in 1982. He was attached to the McCain yard for all this period and I believe left at this stage.
The jockeypedia site have him working for John Jenkins after, another source link him to a period as head lad to Alan Jarvis. What I do know is that in the summer of 1986 he was back working quote locally to the area where the McCain yard is pre schooling ect. – but not sure how long he remained in the business from then until his passing. Was arguably the most recognisable stable lad in the history of UK racing.
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