Tribute to Fred Rimell who completed 100 years this year

[harshthakor]

This year in 2013 we commemorate Fred Rimell’s 100th birthday,who was born in 1913.(no recorded date)I feel the racing world has to immortalize his achievements and pay a special tribute to him.Fred Rimell was a training legend who carved out a permanent niche for himself in the hall of fame of National hunt racing.His exploits as a trainer will always be remembered.He ranks with the likes of Fred Winter,Fuke Walwyn ,Peter Cazalet Tome Dreaper and Martin Pipe.Above all Rimell dominated a Golden age of Steeplechasing in the decades of 1960 and 1970.

Fred was amazingly a champion jockey 4 times in 1938-39,1939-40,1944-45, and 1945-46.Sadly an injury curtailed his riding career in 1947 when he broke his neck twice.In 1945 he took out his trainers licence.He never had much luck at Aintree as a jockey.Neverthless he rode his first winner on the flat at the age of 12 and rode 33 more before going into jumping.Some of the best horses he rode were Unconditional surrender,avenger,Knight of London and
Custom house.

Fred Rimmel won the Grand National a record 4 times with ESB,Nicholas Silver,Gay Trip and Rag Trade,the Cheltenham Gold Cup twice with Woodland Venture and Royal Frolic and the Champion Hurdle twice with Comedy of Errors.He also won a Whitbread Gold Cup with Andy Pandy,a Scottis Grand National with The Fossa and the Mackeson Gold cup for 4 years in succession from 1969-1971 on Jupiter By,Gay Trip(twice) and Chatham.Arguably he was the best trainer of big -race winners of any trainer from the period of the war till his death.

Fred was champion trainer on 5 ocassions in 1950-51,1960-61,1968-69,1969-70 and 1975-76.

In 1975-76 he won a record stakes earning of 11,740 pounds including winning both the Grand National and the Cheltenham Gold cup in the same season.He became the 1st trainer to perform this feat since Vincent O’Brien acheived it in 1953.He surpassed Fred Winter’s bset earnings in season by over 10,000 pounds.

Rag Trade in 1976 became only the 2nd horse to ever defeat Red Rum in the Grand National.However it is a retribution that E.S.B won in 1956 at the cost of Devon Loch,the moral winner.

After he died in July 1981 his legacy was continued by his widow Mercy Rimell who carried on her late husband’s wining ways She won the 1983 champion hurdle with Gaye Brief.She retired in 1988-89.

Below I am posting an obituary to the legend in the Times in 1981.

The TIMES

Monday July 13th 1981

OBITUARY.

MR FRED RIMELL.

Trainer of four Grand National winners
Mr Thomas Frederic (Fred) Rimell, one of the most colourful and distinguished figures in National Hunt racing for over 40 years died yesterday at his home in Kinnersley, in Worcestershire. He was 68.

Rimell had earned himself the title of “Mr Grand National” being the only man in recent times to have trained 4 winners of the world’s most spectacular steeplechase. They were ESB (1956), Nicolaus Silver (1961), Gay Trip (1971) and Rag Trade, who beat Red Rum in the 1976 running of the race.

He also won most of the other important events in the National Hunt calendar, including two Cheltenham Gold Cups with Woodland Venture and Royal Frolic, and the Champion Hurdle twice with Comedy of Errors in 1975 and 1977.

He began as apprentice to his father Tom Rimmell, who also trained at Kinnersley, and at the age of 12 rode his first winner on the flat at Chepstow in 1927. He later switched to jumping and was champion NH jockey on three occasions before a fall on Coloured Schoolboy in the 1947 Cheltenham Gold Cup, in which he broke his neck for a second time, ended his riding career.

Rimell was given his first trainers licence in 1945, and headed the list of National Hunt winning trainers five times being the first jumping trainer to earn his patrons £1m in prize money.

The hallmark of his horses, who were always immaculately turned out, was their perfect jumping; his novice steeple-chasers had an outstanding record of winning at the first time of asking. His last important winner was Gaye Chance who, ridden by Sam Moorshead, won the season’s richest handicap hurdle, the Royal Doulton, at Haydock Park in May.

He also won some useful races on the Flat, his last winner in that category being Haven Cool in a six furlong sprint at Chester on Saturday.

Rimell was married to Mercy Cockburn, who assisted in running the stable. She and a son and daughter survive him.

[no idea]

Excellent piece about an excellent man.

[Steeplechasing]

Fred, along with Winter, Walwyn, Ken Oliver and Captain Crump was a huge figure to me when I first took an interest in racing. I didn’t realise he had died so relatively young at 68.

[Author]

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