People’s Champion Winner announced soon
Desert Orchid. Red Rum. Even Best Mate. All would be perfectly understandable answers if you were asked to name your favourite racecourse of all time. But who would most of the British public vote for? Well, the Racing Post have set out over the last couple of months to find all the answers by launching a hunt for the People’s Champion.
The competition began in July with a shortlist of 80 legendary horses who have all made a mark on racing history and racegoers alike. The selection naturally centred around horses who excelled at the biggest events, like the Cheltenham Festival and Royal Ascot, and also included several Grand National winners who have left their mark on the racing world.
Grand National success stories that found their way on to the People’s Champion shortlist include:
- 1981 Grand National winner, Aldaniti;
- Crisp, who went oh so close to taking the thrilling 1973 Grand National before being pipped by Red Rum;.
- L'Escargot, the most recent horse to have won both the Gold Cup at Cheltenham and the Grand National at Aintree;
- 2015 Grand National victor, Many Clouds;
- The legendary Grand National champion, Red Rum; and
- Two-time winner of the Grand National, Tiger Roll.
While all of the above have experienced some memorable moments, the standout from a Grand National perspective is undoubtedly Red Rum, and he duly secured a spot in the semi-finals of the vote with 65%, to see off competitors Frodon, Mtoto, and The Minstrel.
The Grand National favourite then came up against the aforementioned Tiger Roll, as well as legendary three-time Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Arkle and the two-time Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe victor, Enable. But again it was Red Rum that pulled through, with an impressive 44% of all votes to his name, to make it into the final five.
Of course, there’s plenty more to racing than just the Grand National, so Red Rum’s four rivals for the prize would all be worthy winners too. Cheltenham Gold Cup heroes Kauto Star and Denman both saw off all comers to reach the final vote, as did the iconic grey Desert Orchid and Frankel who dominated the flat racing scene in 2011.
The eventual outcome will no doubt delight and disappoint in equal measure, no matter who ultimately emerges victorious, and the Racing Post has cranked up the anticipation by revealing that just six percent separated the top three contenders in the final vote.
Several betting sites have indicated how they see the result playing out, with Desert Orchid and Kauto Star the favourites, ahead of Frankel. Red Rum, somewhat surprisingly, had to make do with being the fourth favourite, at odds of 7/1, while Denman was considered the outsider.
There’s not long to wait to hear the eventual outcome, with the Racing Post announcing the People's Champion winner on Saturday 14th October.
