Red Rum trainer Ginger McCain dead at 80

Real legends: Ginger McCain guided Red Rum to three victories in the Grand National during the 1970s
Michael Curran13 April 2012

Few men have lived the dream more gloriously than Donald 'Ginger' McCain, whose death at the age of 80 was announced today.

Ginger didn't do regrets - no wonder - for his improbable story could have been straight from the pages of a novel by Dick Francis, another man whose name is indelibly linked with the Grand National.

Francis was denied victory in the race on Devon Loch by the cruellest twist of fate. McCain would win it four times. It was an astonishing achievement for a man who used to earn a modest living as a taxi driver in Southport.

Among his passengers was a wealthy character called Noel le Mare, who fancied a crack at the National if he could find the right horse.

Over a few late night drinks on a Saturday night it became clear the two men shared an obsessive belief in the virtue of perseverance.

McCain, in his spare time, held a trainer's permit for 13 years before his first winner in a modest steeplechase at Aintree.

Eventually, Le Mare was encouraged to send him a couple of horses with the National in mind.

Then came Red Rum, culled from another yard because of suspect feet and a questionable attitude to racing.

Not for long. Red Rum's good fortune was that his new trainer, whose yard was hidden behind car show rooms, brought his team to fitness on Southport beach. That was the last we heard of his dodgy feet.

The fairytale grew to an astonishing climax on an unforgettable afternoon at Aintree in 1973 when Red Rum caught and passed the giant Crisp in the final strides of what is generally believed to be the finest Grand National of all time. No one questioned the horse's temperament after that.

In the chaos that followed that thunderous finish, Ginger revealed that he had been going to the National since the age of eight, secretly yearning that one day he might have a horse good enough to run in it.

In the years that followed Red Rum's legendary triumph, Ginger McCain became every bit as much a household name as the horse who would go on to win the Grand National twice more and finish runner-up twice.

Nor was Ginger a one-trick pony. In the late evening of his career he added a fourth National with Amberleigh House in 2004.

And there wasn't a prouder man at Aintree in April this year than Ginger when his son, Donald, won the race with Ballabriggs.

Ginger enjoyed his reputation for plain speaking, had no time for southern softies, defiantly opposed any attempts to make the National fences less demanding and never quite understood why so many of his hard-hitting comments were seen to be politically incorrect.

Yet we will remember him best for delivering one of the finest sporting sagas of the last century.

To be in his company as another National approached for Red Rum year after year was to appreciate that he was living the dream. And for a few priceless minutes on a Saturday afternoon in April, we all shared it with him.

A Grand life: Racing pays tribute

Beryl McCain, Ginger's wife
"Donald passed away peacefully in his sleep after a short illness. There will be a private family funeral followed by a later memorial service, for which there will be more information in the coming weeks. Joanne [daughter], Donald Jnr [son] and I appreciate all the kindness we are being shown."

Jenny Pitman, former trainer
"Ginger's words when Red Rum died come to mind, 'We'll miss the old bugger.' Ginger is just irreplaceable. We've known one another a very long time. We didn't always see eye to eye but it was all done with good humour."

Tony McCoy, Champion jump jockey
"What he achieved with Red Rum was amazing. I know how difficult it is to win one Grand National. For him to train the same horse to win three times, I think that is an achievement that won't be matched for a long, long time."

Peter O'Sullevan, former BBC commentator
"It was a career of remarkable achievement. He will always be remembered for Red Rum and rightly so because he and the horse appeared absolutely at the right time and were very much instrumental in saving the National at a period when it was very much in peril."

Lord Daresbury, Aintree chairman
"Ginger was a local man and a true legend. His four Grand National victories was an unbelievable effort and brought the Grand National even closer to the nation's heart."

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