Product Description

Red Rum’s classic win in the 1977 Grand National is the stuff of sporting legend. Red himself became a national treasure, and his charismatic trainer – the redoubtable Ginger McCain – became a sporting hero. While the public adored Ginger, there were those who sniped that he was a one-horse trainer. All that changed 27 years later when, in a thrilling race, Ginger won his fourth National with Amberleigh House, equalling the record of Fred Rimmer. Once again Ginger had taken the sporting world by storm. In the 70s, the popularity of Red Rum and Ginger almost single-handedly saved the great race when there were plans afoot to turn the track into a housing estate.

Ginger himself is a remarkable individual - charming, forthright, not afraid to speak his mind and a hugely entertaining raconteur. This is his story, at times funny, sad, exciting and always captivating, told in his own inimitable style.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12760 in Books
• Published on: 2006-07-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

About the Author
Ginger McCain – real name Donald – was born in 1930 and began his career as a trainer in 1952, with a small stable behind a second-hand car showroom in Southport. He trained the legendary Red Rum to three Grand National victories in ’73, ’74 and '77 and to two runner-up places. Red Rum died in 1995 but nine years later, Amberleigh House gave Ginger a record-equalling fourth National win. He now operates from a stable complex in Cholmondeley, Cheshire.

Customer Reviews

Excellent
I guess I'm pretty lucky my ex hubby knew Ginger McCain so I have some fantastic photos of the great "Red Rum" in his lovely Cheshire surroundings. :-)

This book was fantastic from start to finish; Ginger has done a great job with it. Taking you right through his life, basically up to present day. It's lovely to hear "Rummy" story again from start to finish and how he loved showing off, which was true when you were taking photographs of him, "Red Rum£ loved the limelight, and he and Ginger were a great match the made history I'm sure that no one ever be able to repeat.

With me being a huge "Red Rum" fan I always backed Gingers horses and saw a lot run at Haydock Park during the 1990's,he did me some wonderful favours with the odds that some of horses won at, 33-1 and 100-1 etc. :-)

It's an excellent read and very compulsive, it's a book I shall read again. It takes pride of place in amongst my other horse racing books I own. :-)

It's well worth every penny to read the story of two very special beings. :-)

A National treasure
Ginger McCain has raised plenty of eyebrows during his time but you have to admire his honesty. What you see is what you get with him and here is his story. He is a real character, a total one off and a national treasure. His love of, and empathy with the horses shines through. Only he could have found and trained a horse like Red Rum. Here is his love of Liverpool and all that the Grand National, the people's race, means to him and racing. Ginger is the epitome of all that is wonderful and unique about natiional hunt racing.

This book is great, from the name right down to the very last page. Buy it!

Tough Trainer
This autobiography shows a racing trainer far from conventional. The author came out of National Service in the Army and set up as a sort of car dealer and general small local businessman on the coast of Northwest England. Overcoming some opposition from the Jockey Club, he was eventually granted a trainer's licence. His famous triumph, more accurately, piece of luck, was in acquiring Red Rum, perhaps the best loved horse in England after Desert Orchid. The Grand National and wealth came. The story is one of many ups and downs, especially financial.

It has to be said that the author is his own worst enemy in places, coming over as a hard and even somewhat brutal man. Perhaps he has better sides...For instance, he defends the appalling practice of "firing" a horse, applying red hot metal to the horse's leg to heal. This is now banned in the UK, though not, surprisingly (?) in the USA and elsewhere. Quite apart from the doubtful utility of this practice (he says it does work...) there is the more important fact that it is painful for the horse and not necessary for healing. The author does seem to be mainly interested in money---even Red Rum is trooped around supermarket openings etc to make money for the owner and trainer.

Overall, not totally boring but a book which left me, at least, very much out of sympathy with the author