Red Alligator

Horses | Last ran in 1970
Dam - Miss Alligator
Sire - Magic Red
Dam's Sire - Hyacinthus
Born - 1959

Red Alligator Grand National Wins

  • 1968 - ridden by Brian Fletcher trained by Denys Smith
Red Alligator 1968 Grand National
Red Alligator

A total of four Grand National runs during his career for Red Alligator, with two full completions where he ended the race and two falls, leaving him with a 50% strike rate at getting around the course.

However, the second of those four runs, a run which came in 1968, was the most important of them all because this was the year that Red Alligator would win the Grand National.

He first hit the Aintree track in 1967 and finished a very respectable 3rd, gaining vital experience of the track and the nature of the fences on it. In 1968, back for another crack, this horse definitely used his experience as an advantage and was able to go two places better and win the contest.

The next two years saw this horse return to Aintree, firstly in a bid to defend his crown, then secondly in a bid to win it back. But he failed to complete the course on both occasions, falling and going out of the race.

Red Alligator would give Brian Fletcher his first Grand National win. Later in life, he would be better known as being the man who rode Red Rum to victory on two occasions, and what he’s famed for, but Red Alligator is what started it all off.

Red Alligator’s Big Race Wins

Away from the Grand National, Red Alligator struggled to make a big splash in the higher end of racing, though he did manage to win a few other minor races.

Winning £40,000 in prize money in total, almost half of which came from his first two Grand National efforts. After winning the big one at Aintree, his season was all planned with the Grand National in mind, which probably left him missing out on other top races on the calendar in a bid to be in perfect shape for Aintree.

Full Results

Year Result Prize Money Handicap Jockey Trainer
1970 Fence 11 - Fell - 10-12 Brian Fletcher Denys Smith
1969 Fence 19 - Fell - 10-13 Brian Fletcher Denys Smith
1968 1 £16048 10-00 Brian Fletcher Denys Smith
1967 3 £2443 10-00 Brian Fletcher Denys Smith