…Researched and contributed by Solomon Thomas.
Red Rum’s hair weaved into a bridle of a horse trained by the son of the late trainer of the racing legend, Ginger McCain, will attempt to win the 2023 Grand National.
Red Rum, a three-time winner of the race, passed away in 1995, and his family kept some of his mane as a lucky charm.
Amberleigh House and Ballabriggs, both trained by Ginger, carried strands of Red Rum’s hair when they won the National in 2004 and 2011, respectively.
The bridle of Minella Trump, who is a 40-1 shot to win the Grand National this year, will carry some of the preserved hair of Red Rum.
Joanne, the sister of the late Ginger, has expressed her hope that the charm will inspire another family victory in the world’s biggest steeplechase.
The use of Red Rum’s hair has been a tradition with every horse they have that runs over the Grand National fences, and Joanne called it their “little superstition and tradition.”
She said that it would not be the first time the horse racing legend had cast a spell over Aintree since his death, as his hair was present with Amberleigh House and Ballabriggs when they won the National in 2004 and 2011, respectively.
According to Joanne, the family only has a limited amount of Red Rum’s hair left, so they sewed it onto a little ribbon that they cover all the brow bands with.
She added that people used to ask for some of Red Rum’s mane or tail, and when they brushed him, his hair would come away, so they kept it.
She tweeted a photo of herself sewing the mane hair into Minella Trump’s bridle, with the caption “Finishing touches – a bit of Red Rum will jump round with Minella Trump as he did with both Ballabriggs and Amberleigh House.”