LOOK SHARPE: National Nonsense

Sports betting PR legend GRAHAM SHARPE brings you his latest ‘LOOK SHARPE’ column…

OUT FOR A HEALTH-GIVING walk recently and knowing I had some time on my hands, I popped into a local betting shop to see what was what.

I was just in time to view the imminent 3.02 race, a four mile handicap (no mention of it being a chase or hurdle) apparently known as ‘Race of Champions’ and for which there were 9/1 joint favourites in a field of 40. These joint favourites were runners apparently called Golden Miller and Red Rum.

Yes, you’re right, this was one of those what can only be called cartoon races by any true racing fan. This event featured contenders, all of which were named in honour of horses which had won a Grand National in the past. It was appropriate that Golden Miller and Red Rum should have been installed as the market leaders.

‘Rummy’ was, of course, three times Grand National winner – in 1973, 1974 and 1977. He ‘blew out’ in 1975 and 1976 when all he could achieve was being runner-up in the great race. His ongoing success in the race was a nightmare for bookies, of course – to the extent that the horse’s name spelled backwards produced the impact he had on their hoped-for National profits on an annual basis.

I was privileged to meet ‘Rummy’ on a couple of occasions – once, in his latter days, when he was opening a betting shop and I was approached by a lovely lady who had brought along a homemade present for him. There was a large crowd and she couldn’t get close enough to hand over the tasty-looking cake to the horse or handler, so I offered to do so for her.

Having been advised by connections on no uncertain terms, that Rummy was not a great cake eater, I had no alternative but to divvy it up into several pieces which were consumed by myself and the shop staff – and it was, indeed, very tasty.

Rummy was owned by a man not exactly in the first flush of youth – Noel Le Mare was a youngster of 86 when his horse won his first National, and he declared exultantly: ‘I had three ambitions in life – to marry a beautiful woman, to be a millionaire – and to win the Grand National – now my life’s complete!’ He wasn’t quite right – he lived on until the age of 90, so witnessed his horse becoming a genuine legend of the sport.However, he missed a trick by not leaving instructions for his own body to be buried alongside Red Rum’s, which is by the winning post at Aintree.

The other joint favourite in the Race of Champions, Golden Miller, born in 1927, was probably the equal of Rummy, ability-wise, albeit from an earlier era. He not only won a National in 1934, but also the minor matter of five Cheltenham Gold Cups – in 1932; 1933; 1934; 1935, 1936, and was definitely owned by an even greater character than Red Rum’s Noel Le Mare..

The ultra eccentric Dorothy Paget’s life would need a book to do it justice – and fortunately for anyone interested enough, I did write a book about her, with the help of not only fellow author Declan Colley – but also training maestro Martin Pipe – a massive fan of La Paget, whose bizarre habits and wealthy lifestyle were perhaps summed up by the occasion on which she was being driven to the races, only for her car to break down.

Unwilling to await the arrival of mechanical assistance Dorothy instead spotted a van parked nearby – and sent her secretary off to find the owner and purchase said vehicle, which turned out to be a butcher’s van, thus requiring Dorothy to sit, wearing her usual racing attire of ‘blue beret and shapeless, ankle-length brown coat’ which, contemporary reports suggested, ‘never changed until the day of her death.’ between hanging carcasses of meat. After which adventure she never travelled without a spare car – sometimes two of them – accompanying the one she was in.

In her thirty years of racehorse ownership, she employed thirty-plus trainers and spent upwards of £5million on the purchase of racehorses. This was quite probably rather less than she spent on backing her runners – on one of which, in 1930, she wagered the small matter of £160,000 at odds of 1/8, winning £20,000. According to my online inflation guide, £100 in 1934 would be the equivalent today of £8191.54 – work it out yourself……

By the way – in the event, and somewhat illogically, neither Rummy nor The Miller was deemed to be the ‘winner’ of the betting shop ‘race’ – but there is little doubt – in my mind, anyway – that the genuine horses of these names were the two greatest National winners of all.

So, who was declared to have won the betting shop ‘race’? It was 16/1 shot Hedgehunter – who won the 2005 National, ridden by Ruby Walsh, and trained by Willie Mullins – he had fallen at the last when still in contention the previous year, and went on to be 2nd in 2006 behind Numbersixvalverde. He was owned by yet another interesting character – billionaire Trevor Hemmings, well known for his traxdemark flat-cap – who also owned the Blackpool Tower. He also took over Preston North End FC at one point. Hemmings would win two more real runnings of Grand Nationals – with Ballabriggs in 2011, and Many Clouds in 2015. He died in 2021, aged 86.

Views of authors do not necessarily represent views of Star Sports Bookmakers.