RED MARAUDER toughs it out from Smarty as only four horses finish the 2001 Grand National at Aintree

[@robwoolley]

Wow, wish I’d watched this live, brilliant and yes, horse racing is a tough sport and it’s often tragic but when it’s good it’s brilliant.

[@airmax1973]

Followed this horse for ages and won a lot of money on him. I was in tears when he won the national, had a good few quid on at double carpet. Happy days!!!

[@JadeLeahPilling01]

one of my favourite nationals- what a race!

[@craigpope8580]

7:00 jockey running after beau Then when he cant catch him punches the floor in anger 😂😂😂

[@jen6879]

I believe this was the race that caused remounting to be banned.

[@olliebcafc]

@@jen6879 nah it was a race a few years later, Kauto Star fell at the second last Ruby Walsh remounted him and almost won, but the horse was injured for around a year afterwards

[@trickyrich1968]

cracking race . missed out on Red Marauder but my mum had it at 33/1 so not all bad... would have just been 2 finishers these days as not able to remount now. What a race!

[@LB1973]

both brought down by a loose horse Mccoy took a huge fall actually Brave Highlander was in the same pile up (18th) but never lost his jockey who decided enough was enough.

[@tommyj8147]

I was there. Had Blowing Wind each way and in my placepot. Crazy that remounting was the norm back then. I even backed Best Mate that day, who lost. It absolutley hammered it down all day. Remember 2 old blokes in waterproofs - all the hunting type clothing - shouting "Well done Guesty!" as Richard dismouted. Over and out

[@jen6879]

I was there too and have just about dried out 😂 My God, did it rain!!! I had each way on Blowing Wind and Smarty. My mate, who was with me had Red Marauder so we were going nuts at the finish.

[@uwotm8]

To all the people who think it's cruel and they are forced to run, look at all those horses freely running without a jockey. The horse with the noseband almost ran the entire course without a rider 😂

[@robertreed4337]

Norman had 2 entered Red Marauder and Red Striker but the long range weather forecast was spot on so he withdrew Red striker I remember him saying about a week before that he wished the race was tomorrow Red Marauder is kicking the stable door off

[@kevinbeck6785]

Remember backing Red Marauder to win the race great ride from Richard Guest the days when the national was harder to win than these days

[@BusWill2006]

Me too

[@kevinbeck6785]

@@clarevoyant6322 How can you say that, the fences so much smaller, and so many more horses finish the race, the race Red Marauder won was very exciting and to say the race was poor because of four finishing, dont get that

[@umbertostabia]

33 to 1 phound. People's in the pub in england, still remember my shout .

[@MsVanorak]

9.25 - fair qlay to the loose horse there. he's got his game face on and is going for it!

[@gary1961]

I had £20 e/w on Edmund. He seemed a cert in that heavy ground but he smashed into the Chair fence when going well. Whenever the going is heavy, there is always few finishers like in 1980 when Ben Nevis won only 4 finished and in 1998 when Earth Summit won, not many completed.

[@robertreed4337]

What a day Where is Norman now a great piece of training and a great bloke

[@christopherhogg8364]

Iirc he died not long ago. Was still living in Brancepeth. I live nearby

[@jameswormsley460]

🔥🔥🔥

[@colinthompson6407]

My best ever Grand National result £2-50EW on the first second and fourth plus a £1 combination Forecast

[@simonwoods8809]

I haven't won a baked bean since The Pilgarlic ran into third in 1980 when I was 13. £2 EW as I recall. Ron Hyett on said horse always gave backers a good run for their money. Never lower than 6th if memory serves.

[@Eleventhearlofmars]

I had RM and Smarty that day and remember my dad was made up when Beau was cantering round thinking he had me on toast with his selection lol, the telly nearly got smashed when the Reins went over Beau’s head and I had the only two horses left standing lol. Needless to say I wanted RM to win out of the two because of the 33/1 price, I only had £5ew on them but was still jumping round the house lol.

[@trevormiskelly4304]

Had Brave Highlander done,,thought i ws on a big price winner for a while lol

[@deanoheron]

Horrific conditions that day , I remember my garden being waterlogged and I only live around her corner from the course , should never have been run .

[@MsVanorak]

it was safer in the mud - a slower race and softer falls. no equine fatalities.

[@arkle1964]

Alistair Down's front page in the next day's Racing Post condemned the decison to run the race in the ground conditions.

[@MsVanorak]

these are the conditions they go out hunting in - they don't cancel the meet because of weather. it brings to the fore a different skill set.

[@colincgc]

Not watched this race since the day it happened, Forgot the carnage! Ground bottomless over the full 4 1/2 miles, fences that took some very serious jumping unlike these days... All horses returned home after that too which was good news, guess the going had a say in that

[@stevenostle7500]

Backed Red Marauder at 40/1 what a strange race,probably the worst conditions ever.

[@LB1973]

Rumour is that Lance Armstrong is still running out there somewhere today (in reality he was part of the 10 horse pile up at the Canal turn)

[@jakechapman6547]

To this day it surprises me that Maguire pulled up No Retreat..I'm assuming the horse wasn't sound

[@teenoso4069]

The slowest time since 1888 = toughest Grand National. Fences x ground x head and cross wind

[@EnjoytheQ.]

Tony waving good bye lol

[@MikePike5]

2001 the year when George bush was inaugurated as the 43rd president dale Earnhardt died at the Daytona 500 then the 9/11 terriost attacks and tiznow winning the breeders cup classic again

[@iminc5498]

What a race...it’s a shame the BHA bowed down to the tree huggers and totally ruined the race from a specialist event, to a normal race over a trip.

[@arkle1964]

You don't have to be a "tree-hugger" to find no merit in a race which was debatable to even have been ran in the conditions and where a quarrter of the field were taken out by loose horses.

[@robwoolley]

We have to move into the modern world. As a past trainer I know these horses are only alive because racing exists but they also did because racing exists. Enjoy it while we can.

[@drizzle952]

👍👍👍

[@doyle1884]

Why does Racing TV cobsistently have the worst camera angles.

[@tedmartin83]

Bookies must have been thinking tat one point they were going to trouser every bet.

[@drizzle952]

And now the national is a hurdle race......God save England.

[@thelovwoman]

Ridiculous conditions the horses needed headlights to the course

[@kevinliu7564]

did nobody tell the horses they had to go round twice?

[@cmcg3738]

Action packed. A spectacle. Never to be seen again as the sport continually retreats in on itself, caring more about a small section of animal rights protesters and their views borne from ignorance, than putting on a product the public want to see.

[@harrymurley258]

I’m a big racing fan myself, but doing it in a way where a horse’s life is less at risk does make sense.

[@MsVanorak]

not really animal rights - more like a faction of far right infiltrating nh horse racing now and f1 like they did to football in the 1970's. note the wearing of football style scarves on saturday racing tv and the media is not really reqorting gang fighting at some race courses. they infiltrate the organisation seeming to be onside and then encourage controversial agendas that cause qublic anger and loss of suqqort and/or fighting. or they lean on/terrorise officials to their agendas. look how f1 ended last season! aim seems to be division amongst us all so that we don't work out what is going on. my overview of them is that they are a useless, feckless bunch of tossers who aren't any good at anything themselves but qretend to be intelligent and suqerior. they only watch the racing to know where to go for equine casualties. then get themselves a job in a food qrocessing factory for tesco (jewish roots) so that they can filter some horse meat into the ready meals and blackmail the organisation. i saw a cliq from one of these anti-horse racing organisations only a few days ago and the uqloader turned the camera on himself for his final say and he was sat in his bedroom with a big nazi skull and crossbones flag behind him.

[@arkle1964]

I'm sceptical of some of changes, for example the fence structure. However, the 2001 Grand National was atrocious. It's debatable whether it should have been ran in the conditions and a quarter of the field were taken out by loose horses.

[@BusWill2006]

@@harrymurley258 when the going is soft it’s safer for the horses.

[@olliebcafc]

I love the grand national but it’s not much of a spectacle anymore. becher’s brook for example, it did need restructuring after the incidents in the 80s but how it was in this race was perfect, it’s basically just a standard fence these days

[@ThomasDoubting5]

I started work at brookshaw this year I think No retreat was beautiful horse absolute asshole though avoided mucking him out,. If any young people who fancy going into the racing industry do your homework it's different world and if you are not from a racing background you'll be in up to your eyeballs and the odd one out, I loved the job I did but I embarrassed myself and probably blew an opportunity to ride out being a green horn know all and big kid lol hindsight eh. Best thing to do is shut up listen watch and ask questions and anything you think you know chuck it away because you'll be bullishiting yourself..

[@treigjmiller2847]

Anyone who praises this race are not true racing fans

[@eyefishinggunkchannel1011]

my dad put 10 pound on the 4 that finished so the 2 that came 1st and second he was guarenteed a win but the b wind won if he put that o as a bet all 4 woulx be millions

[@eyefishinggunkchannel1011]

i thouhht blowing wind won it anyhow it was the biggest odds out of the 4 red mar smarty blowing wing and the 4th cant remembed but he had all 4 crazy

[@Grifiki]

"TOUGHS IT OUT, ON A LOW WEIGHT ADVANTAGE??"

[@ianbolan3488]

Bloody awful camera work well seeing this wasn't the BBC's coverage

[@brucerobbins6528]

Sjmarty finished what, 40-50 ;emgths behind, while the last two were still jumping over hedges!!!! Very, very tired.

[@arkle1964]

The only Grand National I don't enjoy watching again. There is nothing to recommend it. Two loose horses taking out a quarter of the field. Ground conditions which made it debatable whether it should have even been ran. Alistair Down's front page in the next day's Racing Post condemned the decision to run the race. Carl Llewellyn's equipment going wrong on Beau. The Racing Post analysis went as follows "A National which looked short on quality horses beforehand proved the biggest anti-climax yet in what has been the most frustrating jumping season on record. The combination of conditions which would have seen the vast majority of meetings abandoned without a second thought and carnage at the first Canal Turn left months, if not years, of preparation in tatters."

[@michaelkinahan1829]

Good points, very well made that give some good perspective. I guess it's a bit like rubber necking at a car crash.... I still can't help watching it! The race that is, I have no interest in actual rubber necking!

[@Househead1200]

That's the gamble. I say that having had £25 E/W on the winner that day before at 40/1. I thought Smarty had scuppered me but when your luck's in and all that. I've only backed one more winner in 2012 - Neptune Collonges again at 40/1 but only to small money.

[@teenoso4069]

Probably betting revenues had a lot to do with it running

[@treigjmiller2847]

Terrible decision to run

[@peterbushby9009]

One of worst nationals .

[@comesahorseman]

I'll say it again, 'though many will disagree; the field is/was too big, not enough racing room.

[@csb7376]

Racing room? Have you seen how wide the track and fences are.

[@comesahorseman]

@@csb7376 have you seen how crowded it gets over the first 3 or 4 jumps? That's party a function of field size. Look again.

[@keithwellerlounge74]

That's part of the entertainment though? It always baffles me how people who watch racing and Grand National videos don't even understand why it's popular. It's supposed to be dramatic and unpredictable. Otherwise no one would give a shit. Like now.

[@comesahorseman]

@@keithwellerlounge74 drama and the unpredictable are all fine and dandy. But horses crowding and bumping one another then falling in a heap are something else entirely. I was thinking of safety for horses and jockeys; we especially owe the horses a great deal of consideration for their safety because, while they are bred to do this, they're not exactly volunteering to put thier health at risk. Right?

[@keithwellerlounge74]

@@comesahorseman You’re watching the wrong sport. You can’t have drama without risk. If you don’t like jump racing, that’s one thing. Say you’d rather it didn’t exist. But don’t start making out you’re a racing fan when you complain about great races like this one was. Don’t pretend you like a sport when you only want a watered down, gentrified version of it. You’re the same sort who wants all-seater stadiums and goal music.