past winners

William Hill King George VI Chase at Kempton and of course the benevolent chimney plunger himself, Father Christmas.

Silver By Nature, the 2010 Welsh National winner would be very interesting if aimed at Aintree.

Speaking of the man in the crimson suit, it is probably a safe bet that red, along with silver and gold, are among the most popular colours during the Christmas season, with many a Norwegian Spruce adorned with shiny baubles and perhaps even a bit of unabashed tinsel of those festive hues.

It just so happens that their popularity is not confined to the Christmas tree. They are also the most popular colours among Ginger McCain and owner Noel Le Mare. As we noted a couple of weeks ago in the piece Smith’s All Round At The Red Alligator, the John Manners-owned Red Alligator took the spoils in 1968 for County Durham trainer Denys Smith.

The third “Red” was another triumph for County Durham when Richard Guest rode Red Marauder to victory. The 11-year-old prevailed for Brancepeth-based permit holder Norman Mason, who named many of his horses with the “Red” prefix after discovering red was considered a lucky colour in Chinese culture.

“The luck I had that day was at the Canal Turn when a horse alongside us ran across the fence and I was literally the last horse to get through,” recalled Guest. “I could see it coming and I was squeezing like mad to get through.

“The loose horse nearly tipped Red Marauder’s backside when running across the middle of the field. A lot of horses behind me were taken out and that’s where I had my luck in the race.

“Red Marauder was one of those horses that probably hadn’t achieved what he should have. He had some problems in his life - he’d had leg problems and had broken blood vessels, so it was fitting that he came good and won a Grand National because I think if things had gone differently for him as a younger horse, he could have been a Gold Cup horse.”

Guest now trains at Stainforth, South Yorkshire, where Red Marauder, approaching his official 21st birthday on January 1, is enjoying a happy retirement.

“He loves retirement - some horses hate it but he loves it. He and my wife’s old riding horse, Annie, are like two lovers together in the field. He’s also out there with Cheltenham Festival winner Our Armageddon and a couple of young horses - he’s king of the field and boss of the herd.”