Very few National winners have been trained and ridden by the same man

1 The great triple Grand National winner was bred to excel on the Flat. He was by Quorum, a son of the sprinter Vilmorin, grandson of dual King's Stand Stakes winner Gold Bridge. Quorum was a star miler, finishing second to Crepello in the 1957 2,000 Guineas and winning the Sussex Stakes and Jersey Stakes the same year. In 1964, the year he sired Red Rum, his covering fee was £198.

2 Red Rum was sold as a yearling at the Goffs September sale in Dublin. His breeder Martin McEnery put a reserve of 800gns on his head, but such was the lack of interest in the smallish bay colt that he was eventually sold to five-time champion jump jockey Tim Molony for 400gns. Red Rum was sold at public auction four times –here, after winning an Aintree seller (300gns), after winning a Doncaster seller the following year (1,400gns), and at Doncaster sales when sold to Ginger McCain (6,000gns). After his third National win, an offer of £1 million was made for the horse; it was quickly turned down.

3 Red Rum ran ten times on the Flat, making two appearances before his actual second birthday. He dead-heated for the aforementioned Aintree seller on his debut, won a nursery at Warwick under 7st 11lb, and won the Doncaster seller after which he was sold for 1,400gns. He was twice ridden by Lester Piggott, but –despite what many imagine – never to victory.