Richard Pitman talks about Crisp and the 1973 Grand National

[@londonlady4521]

I watched this race on telly as a child in 1973 and being mesmerised by Crisp's performance and willing him to win. He lost nothing in defeat, a brilliant horse. Love him.

[@peterphilstacey4698]

Richard is an amazing speaker, eloquent and such a soothing tone, children would love his voice on animation, could do anything really, quality speaker, great ride, best horse lost

[@UXB-p5u]

A wonderful piece Richard 'Dick' Pitman such a warm honest engaging man.

[@anneshaw9681]

The best over the jumps i have ever seen. Two champions in this video. Crisp and Pitman

[@lloydielloydie821]

So exciting to watch, Richards Pitmans account of the race was as good as his ride on the day. Wonderful. The irony of this race was, it wasn’t how Red Rum won the national but the manner of the defeat.

[@christaylor5668]

Great insight...Pitman loves this race

[@UXB-p5u]

Crisp gave one of the all time great performances in the Grand National that year It was truly heartbreaking to see him finally pulled back within 3 strides if the winning post!! I loved and always will love Red Rum and backed him everytime he ran at Aintree but wish Crisp had held on that day...

[@sparkle935]

Richard pitman, one of my all time fav jockeys !! 🤗

[@lycangypsypriest3190]

The ride of his life...crisp...

[@stephenwilliamson5300]

This makes me cry. The greatest national horse ever to give red rum an out and out stayer 19lbs and only get beaten 3/4 of a length. Crisp has to be the greatest national horse ever bar non. I was there as a 15yr old watching it live from the stands and cried at the time and I hadn’t even had a bet. I was so sorry for Richard !!!

[@mrchainsaw-face.141]

Red rum is Crisps equal if not better. He gave 2 stone to gold cup winner lescargot the next year and won easily.

[@UXB-p5u]

Crisp only ran in that 1 GN jumped like a stag bravely and brilliantly only beaten by his weight.

[@UXB-p5u]

Have a read of this....might help! Crisp ran three times in the season after his second-place effort in the 1973 National. After a warm up race over hurdles at Wincanton he won a two and a half mile chase at Newbury beating two mile champion chaser Royal Relief. Then, at Doncaster, he had a match race, at level weights, against his old foe Red Rum. With a twenty three pound weight turnaround from Aintree, Crisp won by eight lengths, but injured himself in doing so, and was retired for the season.

[@lycangypsypriest3190]

Great video.

[@darksharkrafa1]

Best second placed horse ever..different tactics may have won the race...but he did come up what was to be the greatest NH horse ever.

[@harpomarx3976]

Red Rum isnt the greatest NH horse ever. And the reason Crisp was giving Red Rum 23lbs is simple. Crisp was a far superior horse

[@mizofan]

Red Rum was great of course, but in this case he won because of the handicap imposed on the better horse.

[@kieronmoore614]

Great that there's so much interest still after a lifetime ago. I was on Rummy that day and followed racing ever since.. It's cost me a fecking fortune 😐 😇

[@martindoherty6855]

Crisp gave a whopping 23lbs to Red Rum and given what Rummy achieved later, he has to be the greatest to ever run in the race.

[@indacage271]

Probably Crisp was the greatest Grand National horse. Giving 23lb to Red Rum was an astonishing performance.

[@teenoso4069]

50 years today

[@katewild2194]

How Fed Winter had him as his stable jockey is unbelievable he was very second at best in the gold cup he was told whatever you do dont get behind High Ken what does the muppet do? Down goes High Ken and brings down Pendil one day I went to Newcastle to back a horse that was a cert he did every thing wrong but the horse was so much better it still won he was a hopeless Jockey.

[@jcanyiam8309]

THE MOST UNLUCKIEST GN LOSER of ALL TIME!!! I think it was the ALMOST 2 STONES concession to Red Rum that beat HIM- NOT the 4+ Distance!- SO UNLUCKY!

[@helenemillar5175]

Crisp wasn't unlucky, he ran a brilliant, brave race, but was fairly beaten by a little, doggedly determined horse who was destined to become a star.

[@mizofan]

@@helenemillar5175 Of course he was unlucky- never mind how good and popular Red Rum was, Crisp would have won but for the handicap. He lost because he was better, not because he was worse.

[@strosiemead4242]

But for a mistake at the 2nd last Crisp would have been close to winning the 1975 Whitbread Gold Cup

[@Baskerville22]

At level weights, Crisp beats Red Rum by half a furlong

[@Tam10101999]

It was a shame for Crisp but Richard Pitman and I quote " crisp was a 2 mile chaser going over 4 and a half miles...what he didnt say was Rum Rum was a 5 furlongs flat selling race sprinter( 5 furlongs not even a 3/4 of a mile ..Rummy proved to be the greatest Grand National horse ever..but as I say it was a shame for Crisp.

[@mizofan]

greatest overall, of course, and yet in 73, although he won, he was not the best.

[@kevincollins9051]

KEVIN collins LVE KEVIN Taf

[@mizofan]

The handicap was a travesty- he ran and jumped brilliantly, but the weight finally got to him and he was exhausted. No horse that didn't win deserved the National more. Not so much that Red Rum won as that Crisp didn't. Pitman's use of the whip also cost him.

[@josephstewart6706]

For this reason after this race wasn't a fan of Red Rum

[@londonlady4521]

It took some horse to beat the truly magnificent Crisp and the horse that did it went on to win this race twice more and finish second on two occasions. Not just any horse but a legend. The 1973 race had two winners for me Red Rum and Crisp!

[@williamedward2259]

Two great champions, but Red Rum was thirty three lengths behind at one point. Red Rum won the next year joint top weight with L’Escargot who he beat in the run in. Red Rum beat a lot of champions over his national career, his record won’t be equalled or beaten in a long time.

[@helenemillar5175]

@@williamedward2259 His record will never be equalled as the course was so much tougher in those great days of racing.Only highlights Red Rum's breathtaking achievements even more

[@harpomarx3976]

@@londonlady4521 So which horse was the superior horse? Crisp or Red Rum????????

[@mizofan]

@@harpomarx3976 in that grand national and at that time overall, Crisp. But Red Rum's record in Grand Nationals, even allowing for the 73 injustice done Crisp, is still tremendous of course..

[@doodles863]

I put 50p on Crisp at the time, I can’t remember what odds were but I know he would have won me over a weeks wages, I hated Red Rum after that

[@mrchainsaw-face.141]

How could you hate Rummy, he saved the race

[@mizofan]

@@mrchainsaw-face.141 the 73 result was a travesty, an injustice- i never hated Rummy (how could i hate a horse?) but i do resent the handicap imposed on Crisp, who ran and jumped wonderfully, so i understand others resenting the result too, but not Rummy's fault. He too was a great horse, that is obvious. The race still causes deaths, sadly. I bet twice, won each time, including Little Polveir at 33-1 cos he liked the wet. But even with the latest, with winning female jockey, for me nothing will match that run by Crisp when i was 12.

[@jamescharles6296]

Lol all he ever talks about is Crisp!

[@johnedwards2117]

Terrible ride

[@martinclail9290]

The ground he lost after Pitman hit the horse with his right hand after the lastcost him the race, def down to the jockey.

[@paulspate1445]

Yes Once the whip came out Crisp wavered around then ran on again once stopped whipping nearer the line - would have won otherwise

[@johnedwards2117]

@@paulspate1445 I'm glad I wasn't the only one cheers . let's get ready for Cheltenham

[@mizofan]

@@martinclail9290 jockey's mistake and especially the handicap cost him

[@UXB-p5u]

John Edwards....🤐🤐