Whether you were into horse racing or not, 1975 was going to be a big feature on the calendar for all. Everybody wanted to find out if the nations favourite, Red Rum was going to make his hattrick and land his third Grand National Hatrick. National newspapers and magazines had the horse as their cover star, using him to sell magazines, interviewing everyone around him. Everyone wanted a piece of Red Rum. He was listed as the clear favourite and judging by his form in the previous races in the run up to the big day, he really showed the full promise. However, it wasn’t meant to be. Red Rum was beaten by another favourite, L’Escargot, by a very comfortable 15 lengths.
Results
| Result | Horse | Starting Price | Age | Handicap | Prize Money | Jockey | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | L'Escargot | 13/2 | 12 | 11-3 | £38,005 | Tommy Carberry | Dan L Moore |
| 2 | Red Rum | 7/2 | 10 | 12-00 | £11,590 | Brian Fletcher | Donald ‘Ginger’ McCain |
| 3 | Spanish Steps | 20/1 | 12 | 10-3 | £5,720 | Bill Smith | E R Courage |
| 4 | Money Market | 14/1 | 8 | 10-3 | £2,785 | Jeff King | C Bewicke |
| 5 | The Dikler | 20/1 | 12 | 11-13 | - | Ron Barry | Fulke T Walwyn |
| 6 | Manicou Bay | 40/1 | 9 | 10-7 | - | Bob Champion | Josh Gifford |
| 7 | Southern Quest | 33/1 | 8 | 10-6 | - | S Shields | W E Fletcher |
| 8 | Glanford Brigg | 20/1 | 9 | 11-4 | - | Martin Blackshaw | J Hardy |
| 9 | Hally Percy | 66/1 | 11 | 10-00 | - | Macer Gifford | William Arthur Stephenson |
| 10 | Rag Trade | 18/1 | 9 | 10-4 | - | John Francome | A J Pitt |
Non Finishers
A Deserving L’Escargot
As we all remember Red Rum, it is important to recognise that L’Escargot had three previous attempts at the race in1972,1973 and 1974 all under the same jockey Tommy Carberry. except for his first attempt which was an epic failure, he improved by a place each time, first taking third place, then second and ultimately getting the win in 1975. He was naturally ging to be a favourite but was somewhat overshadowed in the run up with the media coverage given to Red Rum. Notably, Tommy Carberry, L’Escargot’s jockey was the first ever in 1975 to win the golden three; The Gold Cup, Irish National and the Grand National.
At 12 years old, L’Escargot was retired and took residence with his trainer for a short while. After trying him at another race; because he didn’t bode well trotting around a field, he took a respectable third place. He finally returned to his owners where he lived on for a further 10 years.
Pub Quiz Knowledge
A hugely popular pub quiz question, that will be repeated for the rest of time will be; Name the only horses to have beaten Red Rum in the Grand National. L’Escargot being the one in 1975 and Rag Trade in 1976.
Race Goer Attendance Figures In 1975
The property developer, called Bill Davies who was running the Grand National at the time decided to increase the ticket price for sales this year which actually made the 1975 one of, if not the lowest attended Grand National. It certainly backfired on him and in the end he took out and agreement with Ladbrokes to oversee the running of the event.
