@@johnshort5003 - very true - but this race is about heart & courage - I see a little horse of 15.2 hands carrying 1/7th of its body weight chase down a giant horse of 17 hands carrying only 1/8th of its body weight - with no allowance given to the little horse from the giant fences. Crisp was a brilliant horse & could have won that day - but by 1977 it was clear that Crisp had been beaten in 1973 by a bigger Legend.
I feel so very fortunate that I had the chance to meet beautiful "Rummy" several times when I was a child as Ginger McCain's stables was near where my grandmother lived in Southport. He was proud, willfull & vastly intelligent & he adored Polo mints! I would spend my pocket money on packet after packet for him & still have a treasured photo my dad took when I was 10 where Red Rum was making a fine meal of the wide collor of my shirt. I still love watching this race...but my heart breaks for poor Grey Sombrero RIP x
@@michaelmoran9399 he deserved what he got.its a handicap.Red Rum top rating finished only 7lb shy of Crisp. Rummy improved with age,Crisp never came near mark again. Rummy murder crisp receiving 7lb,given your logic.
The most legendary racehorse in human history. The horse that put goosebumps on your neck. just look at how he caught up from such a distance. And look at yourself how you had both fist clenched and was shouting at the top of your voice "red rum! Red rum! Come on red rum!"
Great upload. I remember being insanely excited when ESPN Classic showed these extended versions of Red Rum's Nationals. A shame they didn't do it for all the other nationals of the era as well.
I love the way Red Rum skips over the fences as if they were 2ft high. Unbelievable to think he got round in five successive races, 150 fences and I'm not sure he made a single mistake. Great race!
@@TheGiantKillers yep the 1 after valentines was his biggest mistake, but he was tanking that day, he could have run through the fence , it wouldnt have stopped him
Philip Raiswell he made 1 mistake.momentarily.against crisp.at least one shin touchd the ground at a dip after jumping a fence.incredible recovery.weight speed on the dip.people would have bet he go down.he lifted head.and chest.frm ground.a slight jump forward and up thn hoofs bk dwn..that was supernatural..
Australian horse Crisp, just ran out of gas, would have beaten any steeple chaser that day but came across the mighty Red Rum! I remember the race well. Oh... and loving the extended coverage!
Remember watching this as a boy with my Dad, still think it was the Greatest Grand National there's been, what an effort from Crisp and the day that saw the greatest national winner introduced himself to the world.
I first admired Grey Sombrero at the 1971 Horse and Hound Cup at Stratford. He was striking and loved to be in the lead. He fell that day and all the other horses passed by him. I was gutted at age 14. Two years later I was so excited to see him running well at Aintree and then was devastated with a broken heart when he was a faller at the Chair. Everything later about this memorable race was meaningless to me. RIP Grey Sombrero I will cherish your memory.
Yes Bryan He paid the ultimate price breaking a shoulder. What a shame. I backed him Crisp and Red Rum and was sad despite it being an epic race. He played his part and those that loved him and cared for him must have been distraught. Thats the very high cost that these brave horses can pay for out enertainment in a dangerous sport. Shame
Amazing to think that Crisp was a Champion Chaser, it's Red Rum that everyone remembers but a 2 miler carrying top weight & going that gallop for 4 & a half miles is incredible. John Francome always said that Crisp was hard as nails. Great race.
And Crisp later showed himself superior to Red Rum over the shorter distance. The weights carried by these horses over such long distances were incredible.
I was 13 years old when this took place. I wanted Grey Sombrero. Unfortunately he had to be put down after a fatal shoulder injury after a stumble at the Chair. I cried my eyes out that day. I went to Wetherby races with my dad a couple of months before where he was second to Titus Oates. Young Ash Leaf was third.
You can see my Dad leading Grey Sombrero out at 2:01. This race and the loss of Grey Sombrero, led to my Dad making the decision to stop working in racing. I remember him telling me how much he loved that horse.
@@chrisgillespie7557 Did your dad say there was nothing they could do? You can still see Grey Sombrero standing in the background as they watch the finish at 18.30-odd. I know I may be a bit ignorant but can they not let them recover in some way, even if they can't race?
@@paulspice720 I think this was a vastly different time in regards to animal welfare. I can only presume that “if it can’t race, there is no use to owning the horse”. My dad passed 10 years ago so unfortunately there isn’t really a way of finding out this information first hand.
@@chrisgillespie7557 I think often with horse-racing, much as I love it, that the acceptance of some fatalities is very ungrateful to horses that were very lucrative when they were fit to run. But I admire your father's integrity. I'm sorry for his grief with Grey Sombrero and for your own personal loss at his passing. Thank you for the response.
Timed to perfection by Rummy. You will never see the likes of him again. A true sporting superstar. I backed him on his 3rd win in 77 and have never backed the winner since. An amazing animal..
it wasnt timed to perfection lets get that straight Crisp was absolutely knackered in that final furlong he had been out on his own for most of the race Red rum a lucky 3 time winner it should only be 2
Magnificent race and quite a different beast from today’s affair. Crisp and Red Rum rightly receive a lot of the plaudits but L’Escargot is perhaps the forgotten horse. He was a dual Gold Cup winner and in ‘75 won the National aged 12 - only two horses have managed to win both after all!
What a run by both Crisp and Rummy.Following year showed just how good Rummy was with the same weight as Crisp the previous year and Rummy destroyed the field.
An incredible race, which my dad watched on an old air raid shelter at Aintree. Crisp is so magnificent and plays his full part in this race against the greatest National horse ever. The speed Rummy hits the ground at on the second circuit as he goes over Beechers is breathtaking.
Unforgettable race. A number of high class horses running in the race. You rarely see so many good ones competing now. Crisp was magnificent, definitely the moral hero of the race for me giving all that weight away. But he was unlucky to meet such a fine stayer as Red Rum was under a light weight that year. .
ahh man you so gotta feel for Crisp though, just to think going all round in the lead and so far ahead only to get caught on the run in, a gallant effort but in a way it would've been great for Crisp to of won here but so amazing how Redrum even kept going like that incredible and just to think a 100 races without ever falling so great to hear the great Peter O'Sullivan on this video too, wasn't even around when this race took place so it's fantastic to see this now
What a wonderful jumper Crisp was and the moral winner of this race in my book. Great BBC coverage as well, the present format is amateurish by comparison. Thanks for uploading..:-)
+MEECHIO I totally agree. He gave 23 pounds to the greatest ever Grand National horse and nearly won. That is phenomenal. At level weights he would have annihilated Rummy. His performance that day was in my book the single greatest performance ever at Aintree and now that the fences have been neutered and the race altered beyond any recognition his performance will remain forever the greatest.
@@tigerarmyrule red rum improved 20 odd pound carried more than 12 stone to beat gold cup winner l,escargot. Red Rum improved massively year in year out,crisp would not have beaten a on form Red Rum. You base opinion on one race I base mine on 5!!!!!and timeform ratings
I believe it was Brian Fletcher who said you only had to get Red Rum to six fences from home and somewhere near the front and he'd have enough left in the tank to accelerate and win.
This race just takes your breath away.Yes Crisp threw it away but the distance Red Rum made up from the second last fence is unbelievable.Hes like a wild animal hunting his prey,it's relentless and brave.Great stuff.
Don't forget the jockey's contribution, too! Brian was really clever and knew just how to get the best performance out of Rummy - a really wonderful pairing, the ultimate dream team! Tommy Stack the same - knew how to handle RR, with legendary results!
Now ruined no more than a handicap with small weak fences flyaway birch. About as. Solid as air. Race is ruined. Tiger roll be annihilated by rummy and many others,fall or pull up. R.I.P Real grand national,not pony race that replaced it
Watching the jocks leaving the changing room and then the horses coming out onto the racecourse, you had real anticipate and expectation. That's all got now with all the changes.
+Teen oso yes you are right. The sense of fear laden expectation is gone. It remains a good race but it is not he Grand National. It is another race. You look back at these year and fences like Bechers and Valentines were fearsome obstacles....literally frightening. Now they are hurdles with lots of loose birch thrown on them to make them like they are what they no longer are....Aintree fences.
+chatham43 yes its still enjoyable enough but its not the same race. The modifications may have been necessary but its simply not the same race. The field generally sails over Bechers Valentines etc as if they were ordinary fences.....which in essence is what they now are. Hurdles with loose birch the horses kick through as if it wasn't there.
Teen oso yes Francome has it right. In your experience do you agree that the real racing fans now regard it as just another Saturday highlight while the "once a year" floating vote are still taken in by the idea that it is exceptional? The idea that the relatively innocuous plain fence they jump as the 6th and 22nd has any relationship with Becher's Brook is laughable to those of us who have been fans for years.
Magnificent and essential pre-race footage! This is how the race should be broadcast - without the unnecessary fluff and populist nonsense. Still find it hard to believe how much ground L'Escargot made up to be third, or why he was so off the pace to begin with.
....now we get Clare Balding wittering away in the parade ring interviewing anyone that moves....Clive Graham however had a considered knowledgable delivery and was never in front of the camera...so much so I never knew what he looked like....and to top it all the reserved laidback Peter O' Sullivan...a certain level of knowledge of racing was expected in the viewer....
I think L;escargot got held back as the previous year hed fallen at fence 3 after being hit by another horse,so maybe Tommy Carberry was told to keep him out of trouble for the first circuit,not many did fall in this one,so sad about poor Grey Sombrero though.I dont think Carberry planned on Grey Sombrero,Crisp and Red Rum to get so far ahead,and in the end he had to play catch up.The next year he just couldnt catch Red Rum but then eventually in 1975 his day came along.Nobody will ever be like Peter O'Sullivan again,he still alive at 96!!!.Does a lot of charity work for horses
L'Escargot must've been 40 lengths behind Crisp (maybe more) jumping Canal Turn on the 2nd-circuit. Crisp jumps Canal Turn at 16m17secs and L'Escargot jumps the fence at 16m 34secs - by which time Crisp had already jumped the next fence and was halfway to the next one!
The race was in 1973 remember, not 2013. I'm sure a lot of developments have happened in treating horse fractures in the past 40 years, but a quick search on google reading horse-care forums suggests that even today (2017) recovery from a fracture is based essentially on the severity of the injury (a simple break, or multiple fractures), the ability to sedate and treat the horse quickly, and finally the ability of both horse and owner to cope with the aftercare and recovery period which can take many months. Not to mention the cost. As a result, many horses that suffer fractures - even when loose in their paddocks - are put down.However, Balthazar King fell in the 2015 National and broke a number of ribs. I'm sure had this happened in 1973 he would have been put down, but in 2015 he was taken to the Equine Hospital in Liverpool, where he was treated and recovered.
Fantastic to watch I was 3 and this race got me into racing still think it is the best national of all time, and still feel Crisps pain at being caught
Fantastic upload. Great to see the horses in the parade ring beforehand. Though it's a great race, it's one that is always tinged with sadness whenever I see it with poor Grey Sombrero standing just past the Chair awaiting his fate as Crisp and Red Rum battle up the last furlong.
Has a horse ever jumped Bechers Brook at the speed Red Rum did on the 2nd circuit? By this time, jockey Brian Fletcher knew he had to get going if he was to catch Crisp - and Red Rum flew into Bechers! Absolutely brilliant display from horse and rider.
I have watched this god knows how many times down the years, but as time has gone on, the most striking thing is the gentle, and sympathetic use of the whip by both jockeys riding out the finish. Compare it to the sheer brutality of the modern jockeys.
I had just fixed a leaky radiator and the customer gave me a £1 tip.i arrived at the bookies just in time to place a bet tax paid. £12 for one of the best races I have watched.
I can't watch this race without feeling so sorry for Crisp, such a gallant loser, so unlucky and carrying such an absolutely incredible weight. I don't know any horse that could give Red Rum 23lbs and that's what beat Crisp. He jumped exceptionally, he ran fast and beyond anything he was used to. As much as I liked Rummie I was hoping Crisp would win.
...used to get butterflies watching the preliminaries of the national....and I do again in this video ......despite it being 46 years ago(hard to believe) and knowing the outcome.....the enduring magic of the National.....as it was of course...
Anyone watching in 2020 who agrees these Nationals are no comparison to Tiger Rolls because the race as been diluted by health and safety and do gooders..Glynn Evans
You are so right sir. These Nationals are no comparison to Tiger Rolls because the race as been diluted by health and safety and do gooders .Kind regards Glynn n Greetings from Stourbridge West Midlands UK
This race breaks my heart, crisp all the way from australia was top weight & a brilliant chaser, red rum when you consider was to become probably the most famous racehorse of all time just 4 years later but he was very much the pantomime villian in 1973 !
Thanks for uploading a fantastic video. It really takes you right back to those 70s National days. Even though I wasn't even yet a teenager I thought that National day was the most exciting of the year. What nonsense talked by the handicapper before this years race saying that the quality is higher now. The reason the field finishes less spread out today is because the fences are softer and they can all sprint around. It's nothing to do with the handicap.
17:45 WOW WOW WOW- Crisp with 12 Stones on his back- and Red Rum with JUST 10 Stones 5!- CRISP MUST THE CLASSIEST HORSE EVER to run in the National- EVER!!!! (Not to WIN THIS DAY- it was HEARTBREAKING after the last fence- SO SO UNLUCKY)
I said I was shouting red rum! As loudly as I was in 1973 throughout this video. It's the most amazing win catching up from a distance but there's ever been seen in a grand national. And I'm proud to have been part of the racing world and I'm proud that my father owned 12 winning horses one of them which won the grand national itself
There is no doubt that Crisp was a wonderful specimen, but regardless of the weight, Rummy was something special, and weight had nothing to do with this outcome. Rummy had the biggest heart in racing, never gave in and gave his all. To have won 3 nationals and 2 2nd's is unbelievable, unrivalled and a record to never be broken. The GN is the hardest race in horse racing, and to win only once is a great achievement.
I agree, 100%. Rummy was a legend in the making, even at this early stage. Crisp was wonderful and fought a gallant battle, but basically he ran out of gas due to the unaccustomed distance required of him to run. Weights really had nothing to do with the result; skill, dogged determination and ultimately sheer stamina won the day in the shape of a little bay coloured horse named Red Rum.
The National is a handicap. Crisp was rated a 23 pound better horse than Red Rum by the handicapper. There was half a length between them on the line. Draw the logical conclusion.
The paddock commentary from the late great Clive Graham, died too young. Also the quite beautiful Grey Sombrero a free jumping horse broke a shoulder at the Chair. This is lovely piece of footage with some wonderful NH horses never to be forgotten. BBC at its best. best ever. Glenkiln was the stable companion to Red Rum.
Nicely put, Rosalind. Brought tears to my eyes seeing Grey Sombrero, so beautiful and proud, prancing around pre-race. Casts a sombre shadow over what was otherwise the most thrilling and historic of races.
@@helenemillar7626 This is why so many horse lovers hate the National.The death not horses like Grey Sombrero cannot be justified. Sadly there have been many others: Alverton, Dark Ivy, Smiths Band, Brown Trix; Seeandem, Synchronised , The Last Fling. Land Lark, Beau Bob, Zetas Son, Winter Rain et al. There are winners of CG Cup , Hennessy, Whitbread and other top races. No wonder Anne, Duchess of Westminster never risked Arkle. Ginger McCain always derided her for that when Red Rum and Arkle were compared.Silly of him as the two horses were not comparable.
A truly great race, Spanish Steps and Lescargot were fabulous horses too, and for me the best top 4 to finish in this wonderful race. But what must be remembered is that although he was a great horse Red Rum would not have beaten Crisp had the weights been equal, in fact he would have finished quite a way behind.
It was the distance that counted in the end - not weights! Rummy would have triumphed ultimately, as sheer stamina, skill and determination would still have won the day!
I posted this race in memory of Grey Sombrero simply because it showed footage of him pre race as I try to remember him. For to many years the end of this race was shown for the great spectacle it was but my eye was always drawn to the death van pulling up towards poor Grey Sombrero. Thankfully you tube and my own library has more footage of him winning that 1972 Whitbread and that has helped me get beyond that poor stricken sight of him back in 1973.
Watching Crisp wander off a true line under his 12 stone burden on the way to the elbow is almost heartbreaking. What a stunningly magnificent chaser he was. Magnificent. The greatest ever performance at Aintree losing by a neck giving 23 pounds to a three times winner. For me Crisp won.
Being an Aussie I may be slightly biased, but Crisp was a great horse, both here and in the UK. I've only ever seen one here that could compare with him, and that was a horse called Bashboy, who won the Grand National here I think three times, the final time in 2015 ridden by none other than Ruby Walsh. I read somewhere that the only other time Crisp and Red Rum met in a race that Crisp beat him soundly, the weights of both horses a lot closer than in this race, where Crisp conceded 23 ibs to Red Rum. How either horse compared to the Irish legend of the 50's, Arkle, is another argument entirely.
Crisp won?Sorry to disagree, but....silly logic. Redrum not only won this GN, but 2 more and finished 2nd twice. Yes, Crisp ran a great race, but so did Sham in the '73 KD and Prkns, and for a fraction of Belmont. For me Redrum and Secretariat were the 2 best horses for their respective races ever.
Great race i backed 1st & 2nd, but the bulk of my money was on Krisp, the winner red rum just cleared me to break even, still what a race i was counting my winnings a long way out, please turn back the clock....cheers
A bit of trivia for you. Brian Fletcher was wearing the owners (Noel Le Mares) 2nd colours on Red Rum, Glenkiln wore the maroon cap with yellow diamond which were the 1st colours. Ive no idea why as RR was the first string.
I was 15yrs and there. This was the greatest national ever. Big fences and concrete open ditches. The greatest national horse ever finished 2nd. Crisp has to be the greatest national horse ever carried 12st red rum carried 10st 4lbs !!!! In a record time.
No matter how many times I watch that I still don't think Red Rum is going to win it! Loved Rummy and he is my favourite ever but great sympathy with Crisp and Richard Pitman
I remember the race as if it was yesterday , the grey was a great race horse & so was crisp but red rum was in a class of he's own around Liverpool & don't forget he went on to win the Scottish grand national a few weeks later oh & don't forget the great Spanish steeps my own all time favorite horse
I remember listening to this race on the radio back in Oz. No tv then! Thought the black kangaroo was home. Cried my eyes out! A shame we couldn’t see Tiger Roll have a crack this year. Hope all you punters are safe over there!
Many people here (non gamblers, like myself) were willing Crisp on to win. Red Rum may have won the raçe, but it will always be known as Crisp's National
I was 12 years old when this race took place. My father was an avid horse bettor and was kind of enough to loan me two pounds to bet on the race. I placed one pound each way on Red Rum. I remember thinking that Red Rum will never catch Crisp, until he did. I was immediately hooked on horse racing. Two great horses but the weight on Crisp's back was too much. I think I got 11-1 odds. With my winnings, I went out and purchased a continental quilt for my bed. Thanks Dad and may you RIP!
This was the greatest horse race i have ever seen.
The bravest horse I've ever seen in my life. Crisp gave everything he had, and more.
They were both legends but Crisp was carrying more weight.
@@johnshort5003 - very true - but this race is about heart & courage - I see a little horse of 15.2 hands carrying 1/7th of its body weight chase down a giant horse of 17 hands carrying only 1/8th of its body weight - with no allowance given to the little horse from the giant fences. Crisp was a brilliant horse & could have won that day - but by 1977 it was clear that Crisp had been beaten in 1973 by a bigger Legend.
Crisp was a much bigger horse though for the jumps little Rummy had a heart of a lion I think.
Crisp gave everything bar winning but he was up against a super horse that loved this distance.
I feel so very fortunate that I had the chance to meet beautiful "Rummy" several times when I was a child as Ginger McCain's stables was near where my grandmother lived in Southport. He was proud, willfull & vastly intelligent & he adored Polo mints! I would spend my pocket money on packet after packet for him & still have a treasured photo my dad took when I was 10 where Red Rum was making a fine meal of the wide collor of my shirt. I still love watching this race...but my heart breaks for poor Grey Sombrero RIP x
Rum boy was my family horse
God it’s years since I have seen that race and I was still screaming come on red rum !
What a horse and a legend. No other horse like it.
Behave man he gave red rum 1stone 9pounds if ever a horse deserved a national it was crisp
@@michaelmoran9399 he deserved what he got.its a handicap.Red Rum top rating finished only 7lb shy of Crisp.
Rummy improved with age,Crisp never came near mark again.
Rummy murder crisp receiving 7lb,given your logic.
Red Rum and Crisp meet again after this race and crisp was not disadvantaged by such a heavy weight, Crisp won by 8 lengths that time.
This was more than a great horse race......this was one of the best SPORTING occasions of the century...
Gantz De Vries I'm sorry but it doesn't compare to the quarter finals of the shove ha'penny championship of 1902. That was true drama.
Gantz De Vries here here.well said!!!
The greatest race of my time! And a track record absolutely smashed!
postcardterry and whose record did red rum beat the only horse to win the gold cup 5 times plus win the grand national inbetween,
crisp and red rum both were incredible horses.
Greatest horse that ever ran a race ..Red Rum
The most legendary racehorse in human history. The horse that put goosebumps on your neck. just look at how he caught up from such a distance. And look at yourself how you had both fist clenched and was shouting at the top of your voice "red rum! Red rum! Come on red rum!"
Great upload. I remember being insanely excited when ESPN Classic showed these extended versions of Red Rum's Nationals. A shame they didn't do it for all the other nationals of the era as well.
I love the way Red Rum skips over the fences as if they were 2ft high. Unbelievable to think he got round in five successive races, 150 fences and I'm not sure he made a single mistake. Great race!
Just the one jumping error in 150 fences. Think it was the fourth from home in '74.
@@TheGiantKillers yep the 1 after valentines was his biggest mistake, but he was tanking that day, he could have run through the fence , it wouldnt have stopped him
Philip Raiswell he made 1 mistake.momentarily.against crisp.at least one shin touchd the ground at a dip after jumping a fence.incredible recovery.weight speed on the dip.people would have bet he go down.he lifted head.and chest.frm ground.a slight jump forward and up thn hoofs bk dwn..that was supernatural..
Red Rum a sporting icon
Bout height they are now.!!!!
Australian horse Crisp, just ran out of gas, would have beaten any steeple chaser that day but came across the mighty Red Rum! I remember the race well. Oh... and loving the extended coverage!
Greatest ever Aintree performance by Crisp. Unimaginable courage to carry the extra 23 pounds over the distance.
I believe the distance was the real problem, ultimately - not the extra weight!
I believe red rum was carrying 23 or maybe 27 pounds when he went on to win his third national in 1977
Red Rum was no stranger to weight would have won 5... have tons away to a gold cup winner
The greatest horse ever
Gotta feel for Crisp though, what a ride with all that extra weight. Both horses a mile clear of the field. Great race.
Remember watching this as a boy with my Dad, still think it was the Greatest Grand National there's been, what an effort from Crisp and the day that saw the greatest national winner introduced himself to the world.
I think the times, the horses , the bravery, the riders...It just all peaked that day......absolutely the best ever horse race ever staged!!!!!!!
The greatest Grand National of all-time, I tell you one time I watch this, Crisp will win!!
Mark Bunn bless ya!!!
Haw!
Hahahaha...... Tiger roll won again this year
@@7llininthedream pony race small fences.no comparison.
@@keithmaxine7163 if pitman had ridden crisp any other way , held him up a bit - he would have hosed up and changed racing history
I first admired Grey Sombrero at the 1971 Horse and Hound Cup at Stratford. He was striking and loved to be in the lead. He fell that day and all the other horses passed by him. I was gutted at age 14.
Two years later I was so excited to see him running well at Aintree and then was devastated with a broken heart when he was a faller at the Chair. Everything later about this memorable race was meaningless to me. RIP Grey Sombrero I will cherish your memory.
He was a great horse with a unique personality, you can tell. Tough luck!
Well said .!
Yes Bryan He paid the ultimate price breaking a shoulder. What a shame. I backed him Crisp and Red Rum and was sad despite it being an epic race. He played his part and those that loved him and cared for him must have been distraught. Thats the very high cost that these brave horses can pay for out enertainment in a dangerous sport. Shame
Wow when you see Beechers compared to now.. its huge!
Yes, it was and a lot of horses were killed at it over the years, see my list above. Tell that to all those who0 jeer at the. ‘do-gooders"
Amazing to think that Crisp was a Champion Chaser, it's Red Rum that everyone remembers but a 2 miler carrying top weight & going that gallop for 4 & a half miles is incredible. John Francome always said that Crisp was hard as nails. Great race.
Gabriella Grummitt crisp was indeed a great horse as was red rum.
To those who saw it it will always be remembered for Crisp. No other horse ever treated Beechers like a schooling hurdle!!
And Crisp later showed himself superior to Red Rum over the shorter distance. The weights carried by these horses over such long distances were incredible.
Gabriella Grummitt great post.great race.
Have you noticed how everyone's ignoring your ridiculous comment, Chris Mahoney?
I was 13 years old when this took place. I wanted Grey Sombrero. Unfortunately he had to be put down after a fatal shoulder injury after a stumble at the Chair. I cried my eyes out that day. I went to Wetherby races with my dad a couple of months before where he was second to Titus Oates. Young Ash Leaf was third.
You can see my Dad leading Grey Sombrero out at 2:01. This race and the loss of Grey Sombrero, led to my Dad making the decision to stop working in racing. I remember him telling me how much he loved that horse.
@@chrisgillespie7557 Did your dad say there was nothing they could do? You can still see Grey Sombrero standing in the background as they watch the finish at 18.30-odd. I know I may be a bit ignorant but can they not let them recover in some way, even if they can't race?
@@paulspice720 I think this was a vastly different time in regards to animal welfare. I can only presume that “if it can’t race, there is no use to owning the horse”. My dad passed 10 years ago so unfortunately there isn’t really a way of finding out this information first hand.
@@chrisgillespie7557 I think often with horse-racing, much as I love it, that the acceptance of some fatalities is very ungrateful to horses that were very lucrative when they were fit to run. But I admire your father's integrity. I'm sorry for his grief with Grey Sombrero and for your own personal loss at his passing. Thank you for the response.
@@paulspice720 Grey Sombrero had broken his shoulder. Even with today's veterinary advancements a horse would not survive such an injury.
Timed to perfection by Rummy. You will never see the likes of him again. A true sporting superstar. I backed him on his 3rd win in 77 and have never backed the winner since. An amazing animal..
it wasnt timed to perfection lets get that straight Crisp was absolutely knackered in that final furlong he had been out on his own for most of the race Red rum a lucky 3 time winner it should only be 2
@@robjanko3010 he's the goat horse rummy
They need to make a movie of this!
Magnificent race and quite a different beast from today’s affair. Crisp and Red Rum rightly receive a lot of the plaudits but L’Escargot is perhaps the forgotten horse. He was a dual Gold Cup winner and in ‘75 won the National aged 12 - only two horses have managed to win both after all!
What a run by both Crisp and Rummy.Following year showed just how good Rummy was with the same weight as Crisp the previous year and Rummy destroyed the field.
A star is born
An incredible race, which my dad watched on an old air raid shelter at Aintree.
Crisp is so magnificent and plays his full part in this race against the greatest National horse ever.
The speed Rummy hits the ground at on the second circuit as he goes over Beechers is breathtaking.
markbailey1970 agreed
what a horse 4 half miles just to get him warmed up we loved him to bits
.....thanks for this.....not just the race but the paddock coverage....
Unforgettable race. A number of high class horses running in the race. You rarely see so many good ones competing now. Crisp was magnificent, definitely the moral hero of the race for me giving all that weight away. But he was unlucky to meet such a fine stayer as Red Rum was under a light weight that year. .
glad you gave a mention to one of my all time favourite horses,grey zongalero,I was gutted when he lost his life,very brave horse.
Zongalero did not race in a national until 1979
The grey horse who broke a shoulder was Grey Sombrero. He was in the blue colours and was jumping really well behind Crisp until he fell at the Chair.
I love horses. I hate to see this happen to a brave horse.
I still get more pleasure watching this race for the 100th time than todays National which is little more than a plastic showjump
Don’t be silly, it’s still a magnificent feat and takes a good horse to win it
@@iceman9646 you blind ,condensed handicap you could walk through fences .
Race ruined completely by ignorance and bigotry
Corrrct
@@mrhorse6587 when you start a reply like that, you must be. Horses wont gallop and run unless they want to.
A truly wonderful race... What a classic... And I wasn't even born!!
I met Red Rum when the horse was 25 years old it was doing a nightclub opening it looked fantastic
ahh man you so gotta feel for Crisp though, just to think going all round in the lead and so far ahead only to get caught on the run in, a gallant effort but in a way it would've been great for Crisp to of won here but so amazing how Redrum even kept going like that incredible and just to think a 100 races without ever falling
so great to hear the great Peter O'Sullivan on this video too, wasn't even around when this race took place so it's fantastic to see this now
What a wonderful jumper Crisp was and the moral winner of this race in my book. Great BBC coverage as well, the present format is amateurish by comparison. Thanks for uploading..:-)
+MEECHIO I totally agree. He gave 23 pounds to the greatest ever Grand National horse and nearly won. That is phenomenal. At level weights he would have annihilated Rummy. His performance that day was in my book the single greatest performance ever at Aintree and now that the fences have been neutered and the race altered beyond any recognition his performance will remain forever the greatest.
@@tigerarmyrule red rum improved 20 odd pound carried more than 12 stone to beat gold cup winner l,escargot.
Red Rum improved massively year in year out,crisp would not have beaten a on form Red Rum.
You base opinion on one race
I base mine on 5!!!!!and timeform ratings
@@keithmaxine7163 He said single greatest performance. And yes it was, at equal weights Red Rum would not have beaten him on that day.
@@keithmaxine7163 there's a simple reason Crisp was giving Red Rum so much weight. Crisp was the far superior horse. It's not fucking rocket science
RIP Grey Sombrero
Despite watching this over and over again a thousand times i still wish for crisp to win
It's a bit like rocky vs apollo 2. One is more trainied, but one has more heart
@@John-of4gz One has more weight - a lot more weight!
@@peterkemp1973 bullshit
@@John-of4gz Really, John - sophisticated, informed and literate replies are obviously not your strong point.
Just adore Red Rum. A legend.
Despite 3 wins only second best national horse ever, crisp. Just getting touched off given away getting on stone, best ever without a doubt
Two stone
I believe it was Brian Fletcher who said you only had to get Red Rum to six fences from home and somewhere near the front and he'd have enough left in the tank to accelerate and win.
I knew the result, but that was mind blowing. A magnificent achievement by a wonderful horse and rider.
red rum is a pure legend
One of the greatest races of all time
RIP Peter O'Sullivan
This race just takes your breath away.Yes Crisp threw it away but the distance Red Rum made up from the second last fence is unbelievable.Hes like a wild animal hunting his prey,it's relentless and brave.Great stuff.
Don't forget the jockey's contribution, too! Brian was really clever and knew just how to get the best performance out of Rummy - a really wonderful pairing, the ultimate dream team! Tommy Stack the same - knew how to handle RR, with legendary results!
What a race two great horses
The greatest horse race of all time!
Now ruined no more than a handicap with small weak fences flyaway birch.
About as. Solid as air.
Race is ruined.
Tiger roll be annihilated by rummy and many others,fall or pull up.
R.I.P
Real grand national,not pony race that replaced it
I love the way the commentators pass the mike back and forward. Peter O'Sullevan top dog of course.
Brian Fraser a great part of the national eh!!
Yes especially when he said they're coming up the line, with a furlong to go!!
Crisp was really something special.
So sad that grey sombrero broke a shoulder at the chair.
Watching the jocks leaving the changing room and then the horses coming out onto the racecourse, you had real anticipate and expectation. That's all got now with all the changes.
+Teen oso ...yep....the charisma of the race has all gone with the changes...,a crying shame.....
+Teen oso yes you are right. The sense of fear laden expectation is gone. It remains a good race but it is not he Grand National. It is another race. You look back at these year and fences like Bechers and Valentines were fearsome obstacles....literally frightening. Now they are hurdles with lots of loose birch thrown on them to make them like they are what they no longer are....Aintree fences.
+chatham43 yes its still enjoyable enough but its not the same race. The modifications may have been necessary but its simply not the same race. The field generally sails over Bechers Valentines etc as if they were ordinary fences.....which in essence is what they now are. Hurdles with loose birch the horses kick through as if it wasn't there.
Francome said it best. Its just another long distance chase
Teen oso yes Francome has it right. In your experience do you agree that the real racing fans now regard it as just another Saturday highlight while the "once a year" floating vote are still taken in by the idea that it is exceptional? The idea that the relatively innocuous plain fence they jump as the 6th and 22nd has any relationship with Becher's Brook is laughable to those of us who have been fans for years.
These vids have reminded me of all the horse names🤣 but I am from Southport, and definitely a Rummy girl....loved him!
Magnificent and essential pre-race footage! This is how the race should be broadcast - without the unnecessary fluff and populist nonsense.
Still find it hard to believe how much ground L'Escargot made up to be third, or why he was so off the pace to begin with.
....now we get Clare Balding wittering away in the parade ring interviewing anyone that moves....Clive Graham however had a considered knowledgable delivery and was never in front of the camera...so much so I never knew what he looked like....and to top it all the reserved laidback Peter O' Sullivan...a certain level of knowledge of racing was expected in the viewer....
I think L;escargot got held back as the previous year hed fallen at fence 3 after being hit by another horse,so maybe Tommy Carberry was told to keep him out of trouble for the first circuit,not many did fall in this one,so sad about poor Grey Sombrero though.I dont think Carberry planned on Grey Sombrero,Crisp and Red Rum to get so far ahead,and in the end he had to play catch up.The next year he just couldnt catch Red Rum but then eventually in 1975 his day came along.Nobody will ever be like Peter O'Sullivan again,he still alive at 96!!!.Does a lot of charity work for horses
L'Escargot must've been 40 lengths behind Crisp (maybe more) jumping Canal Turn on the 2nd-circuit. Crisp jumps Canal Turn at 16m17secs and L'Escargot jumps the fence at 16m 34secs - by which time Crisp had already jumped the next fence and was halfway to the next one!
but WTF are they putting a horse down just because of a sholder fracture, that's pathetic
The race was in 1973 remember, not 2013. I'm sure a lot of developments have happened in treating horse fractures in the past 40 years, but a quick search on google reading horse-care forums suggests that even today (2017) recovery from a fracture is based essentially on the severity of the injury (a simple break, or multiple fractures), the ability to sedate and treat the horse quickly, and finally the ability of both horse and owner to cope with the aftercare and recovery period which can take many months. Not to mention the cost. As a result, many horses that suffer fractures - even when loose in their paddocks - are put down.However, Balthazar King fell in the 2015 National and broke a number of ribs. I'm sure had this happened in 1973 he would have been put down, but in 2015 he was taken to the Equine Hospital in Liverpool, where he was treated and recovered.
Fantastic to watch I was 3 and this race got me into racing still think it is the best national of all time, and still feel Crisps pain at being caught
Fantastic upload. Great to see the horses in the parade ring beforehand. Though it's a great race, it's one that is always tinged with sadness whenever I see it with poor Grey Sombrero standing just past the Chair awaiting his fate as Crisp and Red Rum battle up the last furlong.
I have never noticed that until I read this.
Such a beautiful horse, too. RIP Grey Sombrero xx
Helene Millar how did the gorgeous horse die?.i never knew that.god bless the darling grey sombrero.
Sadly he broke a leg when jumping The Chair and had to be euthanized shortly afterwards. God bless him :'(
Helene Millar aaww god bless the darling.thats touched me greatly.can a horses broken leg not be fixed??
Has a horse ever jumped Bechers Brook at the speed Red Rum did on the 2nd circuit? By this time, jockey Brian Fletcher knew he had to get going if he was to catch Crisp - and Red Rum flew into Bechers! Absolutely brilliant display from horse and rider.
top weight the next four years
😂🎉
Red Rum a big heart and such pluck. What a finish! Feel so sorry for Crisp. His poor legs so heavy at the end.
I have watched this god knows how many times down the years, but as time has gone on, the most striking thing is the gentle, and sympathetic use of the whip by both jockeys riding out the finish. Compare it to the sheer brutality of the modern jockeys.
Absolutely!!
I had just fixed a leaky radiator and the customer gave me a £1 tip.i arrived at the bookies just in time to place a bet tax paid. £12 for one of the best races I have watched.
I can't watch this race without feeling so sorry for Crisp, such a gallant loser, so unlucky and carrying such an absolutely incredible weight. I don't know any horse that could give Red Rum 23lbs and that's what beat Crisp. He jumped exceptionally, he ran fast and beyond anything he was used to. As much as I liked Rummie I was hoping Crisp would win.
...used to get butterflies watching the preliminaries of the national....and I do again in this video ......despite it being 46 years ago(hard to believe) and knowing the outcome.....the enduring magic of the National.....as it was of course...
Red Rum the super horse what a race hey Rummy RIP
Crisp just an incredible run.
I used to back Spanish Steps in those years. My dearly loved late father used to do the bets for my brother and I. He chose Red Rum !!!!
Another stalwart of those amazing old GN's and one of my favourite horses ever - Spanish Steps! x
@@helenemillar7626 Spanish Steps, L'escargot and Red Rum were involved in the top four places in three consecutive Grand Nationals I believe.
Great to see 2 of the greats race!👍👏🐎
Anyone watching in 2020 who agrees these Nationals are no comparison to Tiger Rolls because the race as been diluted by health and safety and do gooders..Glynn Evans
No horse as ever jumped these fences like Crisp did...Possibly the best horse to ever run in the National.
You are so right sir. These Nationals are no comparison to Tiger Rolls because the race as been diluted by health and safety and do gooders .Kind regards Glynn n Greetings from Stourbridge West Midlands UK
Are you on drugs?
This race breaks my heart, crisp all the way from australia was top weight & a brilliant chaser, red rum when you consider was to become probably the most famous racehorse of all time just 4 years later but he was very much the pantomime villian in 1973 !
Thanks for uploading a fantastic video. It really takes you right back to those 70s National days. Even though I wasn't even yet a teenager I thought that National day was the most exciting of the year. What nonsense talked by the handicapper before this years race saying that the quality is higher now. The reason the field finishes less spread out today is because the fences are softer and they can all sprint around. It's nothing to do with the handicap.
Poor old Crisp, forgot he was still so far ahead at the final fence
He was giving away masses of weight to Red Rum.
17:45 WOW WOW WOW- Crisp with 12 Stones on his back- and Red Rum with JUST 10 Stones 5!-
CRISP MUST THE CLASSIEST HORSE EVER to run in the National- EVER!!!!
(Not to WIN THIS DAY- it was HEARTBREAKING after the last fence- SO SO UNLUCKY)
I said I was shouting red rum! As loudly as I was in 1973 throughout this video. It's the most amazing win catching up from a distance but there's ever been seen in a grand national. And I'm proud to have been part of the racing world and I'm proud that my father owned 12 winning horses one of them which won the grand national itself
There will just never be another red rum :(
There is no doubt that Crisp was a wonderful specimen, but regardless of the weight, Rummy was something special, and weight had nothing to do with this outcome. Rummy had the biggest heart in racing, never gave in and gave his all. To have won 3 nationals and 2 2nd's is unbelievable, unrivalled and a record to never be broken. The GN is the hardest race in horse racing, and to win only once is a great achievement.
I agree, 100%. Rummy was a legend in the making, even at this early stage. Crisp was wonderful and fought a gallant battle, but basically he ran out of gas due to the unaccustomed distance required of him to run. Weights really had nothing to do with the result; skill, dogged determination and ultimately sheer stamina won the day in the shape of a little bay coloured horse named Red Rum.
@@helenemillar7626 tell that to lurline brotherton who cast him of for being a moderate horse
The National is a handicap. Crisp was rated a 23 pound better horse than Red Rum by the handicapper. There was half a length between them on the line. Draw the logical conclusion.
What a race red rum was a machine the best ever
Wow, what a race, poor Crisp was absolutely knackered.
The paddock commentary from the late great Clive Graham, died too young. Also the quite beautiful Grey Sombrero a free jumping horse broke a shoulder at the Chair. This is lovely piece of footage with some wonderful NH horses never to be forgotten. BBC at its best. best ever. Glenkiln was the stable companion to Red Rum.
Nicely put, Rosalind. Brought tears to my eyes seeing Grey Sombrero, so beautiful and proud, prancing around pre-race. Casts a sombre shadow over what was otherwise the most thrilling and historic of races.
Beautiful grey sombrero
@@helenemillar7626 This is why so many horse lovers hate the National.The death not horses like Grey Sombrero cannot be justified. Sadly there have been many others: Alverton, Dark Ivy, Smiths Band, Brown Trix; Seeandem, Synchronised , The Last Fling. Land Lark, Beau Bob, Zetas Son, Winter Rain et al. There are winners of CG Cup , Hennessy, Whitbread and other top races. No wonder Anne, Duchess of Westminster never risked Arkle. Ginger McCain always derided her for that when Red Rum and Arkle were compared.Silly of him as the two horses were not comparable.
A truly great race, Spanish Steps and Lescargot were fabulous horses too, and for me the best top 4 to finish in this wonderful race. But what must be remembered is that although he was a great horse Red Rum would not have beaten Crisp had the weights been equal, in fact he would have finished quite a way behind.
It was the distance that counted in the end - not weights! Rummy would have triumphed ultimately, as sheer stamina, skill and determination would still have won the day!
Great memories my first grand national winner. I was 6yrs old.
Red Rum is a legend. 'Crisp' was ran too hard too quickly. This is a long race and the jumps back then, much bigger than now.
he also carried way more weight than red rum. that wore him out also.
Only one thing spoiled the race for me was when grey sombrero fell at the chair really upset me☹️☹️☹️
I posted this race in memory of Grey Sombrero simply because it showed footage of him pre race as I try to remember him. For to many years the end of this race was shown for the great spectacle it was but my eye was always drawn to the death van pulling up towards poor Grey Sombrero. Thankfully you tube and my own library has more footage of him winning that 1972 Whitbread and that has helped me get beyond that poor stricken sight of him back in 1973.
Watching Crisp wander off a true line under his 12 stone burden on the way to the elbow is almost heartbreaking. What a stunningly magnificent chaser he was. Magnificent. The greatest ever performance at Aintree losing by a neck giving 23 pounds to a three times winner. For me Crisp won.
Being an Aussie I may be slightly biased, but Crisp was a great horse, both here and in the UK. I've only ever seen one here that could compare with him, and that was a horse called Bashboy, who won the Grand National here I think three times, the final time in 2015 ridden by none other than Ruby Walsh. I read somewhere that the only other time Crisp and Red Rum met in a race that Crisp beat him soundly, the weights of both horses a lot closer than in this race, where Crisp conceded 23 ibs to Red Rum. How either horse compared to the Irish legend of the 50's, Arkle, is another argument entirely.
Crisp won?Sorry to disagree, but....silly logic. Redrum not only won this GN, but 2 more and finished 2nd twice. Yes, Crisp ran a great race, but so did Sham in the '73 KD and Prkns, and for a fraction of Belmont. For me Redrum and Secretariat were the 2 best horses for their respective races ever.
I knew what was going to happen. I knew how it was going to happen. And yet it's still thrilling to watch
..be great to see extended coverage of the 1977 race...
Great race i backed 1st & 2nd, but the bulk of my money was on Krisp, the winner red rum just cleared me to break even, still what a race i was counting my winnings a long way out, please turn back the clock....cheers
Thomascow Mc Mullan wouldnt that b magic.i loved that era.that race stayd wth me frm childhood.my hero Red Rum.Rumy the darling warrior!!
A bit of trivia for you.
Brian Fletcher was wearing the owners (Noel Le Mares) 2nd colours on Red Rum, Glenkiln wore the maroon cap with yellow diamond which were the 1st colours.
Ive no idea why as RR was the first string.
Maybe the simple answer was that Glenkiln was purchased by Noel Le Mare Before Red Rum and so wore the original colours?
Great footage!
Thank you very much
I was 15yrs and there. This was the greatest national ever. Big fences and concrete open ditches. The greatest national horse ever finished 2nd. Crisp has to be the greatest national horse ever carried 12st red rum carried 10st 4lbs !!!! In a record time.
Fletcher always said he saw Crisps tail start to flick at Valentines, which told him he as running out of petrol.
What a come back. Rip red rum
RIP Brian Fletcher
No matter how many times I watch that I still don't think Red Rum is going to win it! Loved Rummy and he is my favourite ever but great sympathy with Crisp and Richard Pitman
Fascinating to see the pre-race footage thanks. Didn't ESPN do the post-race interviews etc as part of these programmes?
I remember the race as if it was yesterday , the grey was a great race horse & so was crisp but red rum was in a class of he's own around Liverpool & don't forget he went on to win the Scottish grand national a few weeks later oh & don't forget the great Spanish steeps my own all time favorite horse
red rum won the Scottish national in 74 NOT 73
Red rum the greatest Irish born horse ever
All the credit should go to Brian Fletcher for not quitting
He would never have given up; he had a game-plan!
I remember listening to this race on the radio back in Oz. No tv then! Thought the black kangaroo was home. Cried my eyes out! A shame we couldn’t see Tiger Roll have a crack this year. Hope all you punters are safe over there!
Many people here (non gamblers, like myself) were willing Crisp on to win.
Red Rum may have won the raçe, but it will always be known as Crisp's National
..btw is that the late great Clive Graham commentating in the parade ring.....
I was 12 years old when this race took place. My father was an avid horse bettor and was kind of enough to loan me two pounds to bet on the race.
I placed one pound each way on Red Rum. I remember thinking that Red Rum will never catch Crisp, until he did. I was immediately hooked on horse racing. Two great horses but the weight on Crisp's back was too much.
I think I got 11-1 odds. With my winnings, I went out and purchased a continental quilt for my bed.
Thanks Dad and may you RIP!
hi, do you have 75&76 extended nationals.would be great to see.
They raced each other later on and Crisp did a number on Rummy
hi do you have any other extended coverage of grand nationals.
Brilliant. Sheer dogged Brilliance
rc2869 dogged.yeah
When The National was the test it still should be. You will never see a round of jumping than that put up by Crisp that day.