A National treasure

THE LATE, GREAT RED RUM'S STILL LOVED 30 YEARS AFTER DEATH

- by JAMES MOORE

IT'S a little-known fact that TV comic Lee Mack once rode the legendary racehorse Red Rum.

After failing his O-levels as a 16-year-old, the Not Going Out star briefly dreamed of being a jockey and, for a while, worked as a stable boy in his hometown of Southport.

He recalled: "My mate who was working at the yard said, 'Right, it's about time you sat on a horse!

"So I jumped on a horse - and he said, 'You know who that is don't you? That's Red Rum."

By then, the famous steed was enjoying his retirement, but to Mack - and pretty much every other Brit - he was a household name, having won the Grand National a record three times.

Today marks 30 years since Red Rum died. And now we can tell the stirring story of the horse's unlikely rise to fame.

Born on May 3, 1965, in Ireland, he was named by combining the last three letters of his mother Mared and his father Quorum.

Red Rum had actually been bred to be fast on the flat, not over fences, 30 of which feature in the Grand National.

The bay gelding would have a handful of modest early victories with four different trainers and was even ridden by famous jockey Lester Piggott.