Rode Red Rum to 2 Grand National victories, and before that rode the Bishop Auckland Horse, Red Alligator to Grand National Success.

RIP

Hard to imagine a horse ever equalling three National wins and two seconds in 5 consecutive years. He wouldn't have done it without a great jockey. What thrills.

Just out of interest why didn't he ride all three wins?

From memory ( I stand to be corrected) a fallout with the owner/ or trainer!

Red Rum used to trot past my house every day and the stables were behind Ginger McCain autosales on Aughton rd, ginger used to drink in the Fishermans rest near the beach where the horse did the cantering.

I used to get in there 3/4 nights a week as a 20 year old and he was an obnoxious twat of the highest order, a real big me up sort, he had an ulcer and drank whiskey and milk, we used to play darts and frogger, if we got a bit rowdy, the barmaid used to say, " Can you keep it down a bit, ginger can`t hear himself think", so we made more noise cos he was a twat!

He used to have 4 drinks and drive home in his Jag, not sure if he ever got caught but we did inform the copper who played in our sunday league team

He was a tight bastard as well, the hangers on used to buy him drinks, never had to dig deep, lived on the fame of the horse, what a beauty it was though, dad used to pay 50p for rummies shit, 25p for the others, made the rhubarb grow bigger

Me and a pal from school were regulars at Sedgefield NH from our early teens. We backed Red Alligator at 8-1 when it won the 'Durham National' so supported it again at Aintree - my first Grand National winner!

Denys Smith wasn't always the punter's friend - around that time he had a very good grey called Dashing White Sergeant. Whenever it ran at Sedgefield it started favourite and always got beat. I think he only ran it at Sedgefield to get a few pounds off the handicap before its next big race.

Luckily for us, Brian Fletcher had a genuine run on Red Alligator in the Durham National because Smyth was preparing it for Aintree.

An old bloke I used to have a pint with was an ex bookie. Some of the stories he told me were unbelievable, yet I believed him (if you know what I mean?).