RED RUM to the Rescue

David McVey looks back on the day, 50 years ago, when an epic, showstopping finish saved both the Grand National and Aintree Racecourse

- David McVey

In the early 1970s, the Grand National looked doomed. The nation’s great spectacle was still watched by millions on television, but Liverpool’s Aintree Racecourse was dilapidated and losing money, and crowds were dwindling. Besides, in 1967 the race had attracted worldwide headlines for all the wrong reasons. At the 23rd fence, some riderless horses refused, causing mayhem behind them; horses had to stop suddenly and many of them parted company with their riders.

A 100-1 outsider called Foinavon, who had been plodding along in the rear, arrived late to the scene and his jockey, John Buckingham, was able to steer him around the outside and jump what was left of the fence.

He managed to hold on to win but the race had been turned into farce. Worse, the owner of Aintree, Mirabel Topham, had been threatening throughout the 1960s to sell Aintree for housing. By the early 1970s, every approaching Grand National was described as “possibly the last”. What the race needed to sell itself back to the public was a showstopping year, featuring a standout performance. In 1973, 50 years ago, it got both.