page_title: Red Rum
section_title: Death and legacy
hierarchical_section_title: Red Rum / Death and legacy
caption_attribution_description: English: Red Rum statue, Southport The statue of Southport's most famous four-legged son is in the Wayfarers Arcade. The horse became famous for winning the Grand National race three times in the 1970s. Red_Rum
context_page_description: Red Rum was a champion Thoroughbred steeplechaser. He achieved an unmatched historic treble when he won the Grand National in 1973, 1974 and 1977, and also came second in the two intervening years, 1975 and 1976. The Grand National is a notoriously difficult race that has been described as "the ultimate test of a horse’s courage". He was also renowned for his jumping ability, having not fallen in 100 races.
  The 1973 race in which Red Rum secured his comeback victory from 30 lengths behind is often considered one of the greatest Grand Nationals in history. In a 2002 UK poll, Red Rum's historic third triumph in the Grand National was voted the 24th greatest sporting moment of all time.
context_section_description: Red Rum died on 18 October 1995, aged 30. His death was one of the lead items in television news bulletins and also made the front pages of national newspapers the next day.
  He was buried at the winning post of the Aintree Racecourse, which is still a destination for his fans. The epitaph reads "Respect this place / this hallowed ground / a legend here / his rest has found / his feet would fly / our spirits soar / he earned our love for evermore".
  Eleven years after his death, a survey found he remained the best-known racehorse in the  UK. When asked to name an equine animal, Red Rum was named by 45% of Britons, with Black Beauty (from Anna Sewell's novel) in second with 33%.  In 2002 the UK public voted Red Rum's third Grand National win #24 in the list of the 100 Greatest Sporting Moments.
  In the early 1970s, the future running of the Grand National was uncertain. The emergence of Red Rum and his historic triumphs captivated the nation, and ensured huge public support for the fund to buy Aintree and put it in the hands of the Jockey Club.
  On 19 September 2011, Red Rum's trainer Ginger McCain died aged 80.
caption: Red Rum statue in Southport
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