crisp; one of the true greats.

​The 1953 F.A. Cup Final resulted in a 4-3 win for Blackpool over Bolton Wanderers, and even though Stan Mortensen scored a hattrick for Blackpool the game to this day is referred to as ‘the Matthews Final’, the day Stanley Matthews finally got his due reward.
I believe the 1973 Grand National, the first of three wins for Red Rum, should be known as ‘the Crisp National’, even though, unlike the legend that was and remains Stanley Matthews, the great Australian horse did not receive the reward his monumental effort in trying to achieve the impossible deserved.
During each and every flat season we are told that such-and-such a horse is one of the all-time greats when in fact they are only ever the best of their generation. This is a repeated argument of mine and on this occasion, for the sake of brevity, I will leave it alone. The so-called great flat horses only ever win races their superiority demands of them. Classic winning three-year-olds will only ever win either level weight races or when in receipt of an age allowance if competing against older horses and although I totally agree with the established belief that Frankel was one of the best of all-time, and as he was kept in training as a four-year-old he had to give weight to younger horses, part of the criteria I put forward for acceptance as ‘a great horse’, it must be said, as impressive as he was at times, he only ever won races his superiority demanded of him. He never achieved the impossible, even in his 2,000 Guineas, a classic that was poor in every respect other than the winning margin.
Winx, for instance, even if the quality of the opposition is questionable, has now won 32 races in a row, the sort of invincibility unknown on these shores since before the 1st World War. It would be hard to conceive of any horse winning 32 races in a row at any standard, let alone the number of Group 1’s racked-up by Winx. An almost impossible feat, I would suggest.
Yet in 1973 the impossible was so very nearly achieved. Of course, at the time, even if we were bowled-over by his superlative jumping, the magnificence of failing so narrowly to give Red Rum 24lbs was lost on us all. By the way, third that day was none other than the dual Gold Cup winner L’Escargot, beaten 25-lengths and fourth was the legendary Spanish Steps. The second and third both carried 12st and the fourth 11st 13lbs. When was the last time these sorts of weights were carried into unsaddling enclosures at Aintree? And it took the greatest Aintree horse of all-time to defeat them, even if he were receiving weight from them. In its long history, 1973 Grand National must be the greatest ever run, surely?
Think about what Crisp actually achieved. At Bechers second time round Julien Wilson in his commentary observed that he had never seen a horse so far in front at that stage of the race. He was still 15-lengths clear at the last. He was foot perfect at every fence, and this was back when the fences were still big, black and with the bite of a Kamodo Dragon. If Brian Fletcher had delayed his move another ten yards, he would not have caught Crisp. He was the only jockey brave enough to think Crisp would not come back to the field, that he would have to go after him. Richard Pitman was brave, too, of course, in allowing Crisp to bowl along, to sit as quiet as a mouse, as Bryony Frost does today.
In his first season after coming from Australia Crisp won the 2-mile Champion Chase at Cheltenham. He had won over 3-miles but the considered opinion was that he would not stay the Gold Cup trip. Why would he stay 4-miles 4-furlongs, jumping the biggest fences in the country? I wonder if either Richard Pitman or Fred Winter truly believed he would see out the distance?
I have watched the 1973 Grand National many many times and still, from the elbow to the shadow of the winning post as the stamina did finally run dry, my heart wants him to hold on, for Red Rum to falter. Not that Red Rum ever faltered, as we know.
Of course, though his record of three Grand National victories will stand for eternity, Red Rum was beaten in two Grand Nationals, though it took L’Escargot, receiving weight, by the way, from Red Rum, and a well-handicapped Rag Trade to beat him. Nobody, though, believes either of those two horses could have beaten him giving 24lbs away. It is extremely doubtful if any horse, even the mighty Arkle, could give Red Rum that sort of weight and beat him around Aintree.
Yet Crisp almost did beat him, giving away 24lbs. If the race in 1973 were started where this year’s race will be started from, he would have won, no doubt about it. Red Rum not only beat Crisp that day but he also beat the record time that had stood since Reynoldstown won in 1935. Crisp, too, was inside the record, with 24lbs more on his back.
So, as I say; Crisp so very nearly achieved the impossible. It is why I will go to my grave believing Crisp’s performance that day was the greatest ever seen on a racecourse.