They touched on together. Red rum and Les Gargos. On the right of the picture, it's Les Gargos, Tommy Carberry. On the left, it's Red rum. Trying to make National history with Brian Fletcher, and he's the first under pressure Red rum. As they come to the final fence of the National, in third place, it's vanished steps and over the last. They touched on together, Spanish steps and Red rum. And Red rum now with a fractured bondage. Red rum was a pre- Les Gargos, rather with a fractured bondage, now with Red rum. And Les Gargos is going to avenge last year's defeat. And Tommy Cargos

is going to become the first truck in history to win the gold cup and the Irish National and the English National. Les Gargos, try to get 12 years old to win the National for Raymond Guest. And here he comes to the line. Les Gargos, a comfortable winner of the 1975 National, the little hero who won it last year and the year before. Red rum is second. Spanish steps come to the line. Only two horses in the history of our great sport have won both the gold cup.

And the Grand National, the great golden miller and a legend who is the subject of a new book by David Owen, an award-winning sports journalist and the author of No Snail, the story of Les Gargos, the horse that foiled Red rum.

David has been a prominent voice in sports journalism for over 30 years, and his latest book is a captivating tale that not only celebrates one of the greatest race sources of all time, but also offers a fascinating insight into the world of jumps racing.

David, thanks for joining us. It's a pleasure to speak to you on the Final Fallen podcast.

Thank you for having me on him.

Out of all the horses you could have written about, what inspired you to focus on a book about Les Gargos and how did you go about researching his story?

I just couldn't believe nobody had done it at the time. I was very surprised to find out during lockdown that there's no book had been done on him.

I know book either not a full length one on Tommy Carbri is is jockey most of the time and I just thought he deserved one basically so that that's why I said about it.

Fortunately for me, the people around him turned out to be very interesting as well and some of the patterns that jump racing throws up that you can only see in in retrospect are part of the story as well.

For example, a lot of people know that Dan Moore was a association with the horse, the trainer, not so many know that prior to that Jimmy Brogan owned him in in me and one of the one of the great discoveries that was new to me at any rate that I found out while researching the book was the famous 1938 Grand National, which was absolute heartbreak for Dan Moore.

Because he lost it by, well, I think he was convinced he won but without a photo finish equipment there, he lost by a nostril basically to battleship.

He was second in that race, so Jimmy Brogan was third, so I love writing about horse racing. One of the reasons for that is the co-instances and patterns in history that throws up.

As you mentioned that there hadn't been a book unless cargo previously, why do you know that is given the fact that he is one of only two horses to have achieved that incredible feat of winning a gold cup and he won two underground national why has he not quite permeated through the history of racing in the way others have.

I think one of the reasons was if you think about it, well first of all I like gold Miller, his double didn't wasn't done in the same year and when he won the grand national.

I don't know Ireland, it was probably different, but in Britain, if you remember, everybody was at entry, waiting for red rums unprecedented hatric was the first time he won the previous two.

And this was the first time he went for the hatric obviously eventually he did it two years later, but that meant less cargo was a party pooper basically.

And entry was going through a difficult time then as well with the top of mirror coming to an end so it was kind of a strange atmosphere there.

I think that's one reason another reason was unfortunately he kind of got spirited away to the United States by his owner after his career when you know had he been around today he'd have been.

Touring race courses wouldn't he do opening fates and things he'd be a sort of national celebrity in Ireland if if and he probably still would have been in the 70s and 80s had he stayed in Ireland but unfortunately he got.

As I say spirited away to America by by Raymond guest is owner he also I think it's fair to say people who knew him far better than me say.

In terms of his personality and character the horse wasn't at all like a article for example who had this presence around him and he wasn't.

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