The life of legendary Red Rum, the only racehorse to win three Grand Nationals, has been celebrated by Coral.
The bookmaker commissioned British artist Sean Corcoran, to create a unique 50x50m portrait of Rummie on Ainsdale Beach (Southport, Merseyside), the seafront on which the horse was famously trained.
Red Rum who won the Grand National in 1973, 1974 and 1977 topped Coral’s poll to find the public’s favourite National winner of all time, in a vote commissioned by the bookmaker ahead of this year’s race.
More than 700 Racing Post readers took part in the survey that saw Red Rum once again crowned champion ahead of the two-time National hero, Tiger Roll, and the 1981 winner, Aldaniti, whose emotional victory was made into the film ‘Champions’.
Coral’s David Stevens commented: “It may be 45 years since that historic third Grand National triumph, but four and a half decades on, Red Rum is still the most popular winner of the world’s most famous race, and the portrait of Rummie on the beach where he was trained was our tribute to the legend ahead of this year’s renewal.”
The artwork, by sand artist Corcoran, paid tribute to the fact that the three-time Grand National winner was famously trained by Ginger McCain on Ainsdale Beach. The saltwater from the sea reportedly helped prolong the horse’s career and treated its pedal osteitis, a painful and incurable disease of the hoof.
Corcoran, who took six hours to create the portrait using an adjustable garden rake and working against the tide, said: “Like everyone, I love the Grand National and Red Rum is a true sporting legend. I couldn’t think of a better way to pay tribute to him than by recreating a portrait on the beach on which he trained.”