Ahead of this year’s Grand National, Coral ambassador Chris Hughes, headed back to the beach to celebrate the most famous winner of the Aintree showpiece, Red Rum.
The TV star and racing fan worked with the bookmaker to recreate the iconic images of Red Rum training on Ainsdale Beach, in Southport, ahead of Tiger Roll’s bid to become the first back-to-back winner of the Grand National since the legendary racehorse achieved the feat in 1974.
The bookmaker also polled 2,000 Brits to reveal that Red Rum was the nation’s favourite Grand National winner, with the three-time champion cited by 27% of those surveyed. Unsurprisingly, the Grand National also topped the list as the nation’s favourite horse race with 28% of those polled.
The three-time Grand National winner was famously trained by Ginger McCain on Ainsdale Beach. The saltwater from the sea reportedly helped prolong the horse’s career and treated its pedal osteitis, a painful and incurable disease of the hoof.
Chris Hughes, who last year finished fifth in his debut as a jockey in a charity race at York, recreated the famous scenes on the same beach, ahead of Saturday’s big race.
The reality TV star rode out on the Oliver Greenall-trained racehorse Spoilt Sam, whilst wearing the same outfit from the iconic images including a white helmet, black top and plain jodhpurs. Spoilt Sam, like Red Rum, wore a classic Newmarket Blanket. The beachside tribute was also a tongue-in-cheek nod to Chris’s legacy from Love Island.
Chris will attend the Grand National at Aintree on the 6th April as Coral’s Champions Club ambassador.
