Definitly Red

A genuine chance for the north to win the Grand National came in 2017 when the well handicapped Definitly Red turned up at Aintree. He was well in on the back of a big margin win in the Grimthorpe Chase at Doncaster, a race that has been used by others as a stepping stone to the National.

However, sent off as a 10/1 chance for the Aintree big one, the horse would have the cruellest of luck in the contest, with the saddle slipping and jockey Danny Cook having no option but to pull him up and take him out of the race. He would never have that kind of chance again, his handicap mark was going to be blown straight after Aintree, and it will probably always feel like the one that got away for Brian Ellison.

After moving up to graded races, including aiming for the Cheltenham Gold Cup, Definitly Red would return for another crack at the Grand National in 2021. However, he was much older this time and not as well handicapped, and that would eventually lead him to be pulled up at the 29^th fence, two from home.

A real top-quality horse for the North, a horse capable of winning good races and competing in some of the best on the calendar, but perhaps a horse that will always rue what happened in 2017, taking him out of the contest without being given a chance to show what he can do.

Full Results

Definitly Red’s Early Years

Definitly Red began his career in Irish point-to-point racing, with his debut coming in March 2013. He would finish second in that race before being pulled up on his second start. A few months off, and Definitly Red returned to the track to show what he could really do, winning his third point-to-point start by 20 lengths.

This would seal a move to the UK, beginning with Steve Gollings, and he would win a bumper on debut by nine lengths, starting with an impressive showing to give an indication he would be better than average.

A listed national hunt flat win would come next before finishing seventh in the Grade One Champion Bumper at Cheltenham and then winning at listed level again on his final flat start. On hurdling debut, the horse would finish second at Newcastle, a novice race that would turn out to be special, as the horse that won the race was Native River.

After this run, the horse would be moved to Brian Ellison, who hit the ground running with him. He won a novice hurdle at Catterick and then went on to win a Grade Two novice race at Haydock. The horse went to Cheltenham for the Albert Bartlett but was pulled up in that race.

Chasing would always be his game, so there was a lot of interest around the horse at this point. After a prep run over hurdles, he went chasing the following season, winning on debut before finishing second in a Listed contest and then a Grade Two race. Definitly Red would round off his novice chasing season with a win at Ayr in a Listed handicap chase.

Definitly Red’s Big Race Wins

When you look back over the career of Definitly Red, he had plenty of success at a reasonable level, throughout his time in flat races, over hurdles and lastly, over fences.

During his time in national hunt flat races, he won two listed races. He would then go hurdling, winning at Grade Two level in the Albert Bartlett novice hurdle trial at Haydock.

Chasing was where he would really come into his own, though, developing into a high-class staying chaser. As a novice, the horse would only win at Listed level over fences, but in years to come, he certainly delivered better.

In December 2016, Definitly Red would begin his push towards the 2017 Grand National by winning the Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase, a Grade Three event held at Wetherby. What is traditionally a very strong race was blown apart by Definitly Red, he won the contest by seven lengths.

Then on the eve of his run in the Grand National, Definitly Red won the Grimthorpe Chase at Doncaster, a class 2 handicap, but one that holds significance in the build-up to the Grand National. This was another hugely impressive performance, winning the race by 14 lengths.

After his attempt at the Grand National, the horse would turn more to graded racing. At the end of 2017 and the start of 2018, in the space of a few weeks, Definitly Red would put himself in the Cheltenham Gold Cup picture, winning the Many Clouds Chase at Aintree and then the Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham, but he could only manage sixth in the Gold Cup.

At the start of the 2018 season, the horse would win back-to-back Grade Two events, firstly the Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby, and then secondly a return to Aintree for the Many Clouds Chase, which he won again. That success was the last big race win of his career, setting him up for another Gold Cup clash, but he would be brought down early in the race.

The horse would go back handicapping after that and would eventually make his way back to the Grand National in 2021, although he was pulled up two out, and that would be the final race of his career.