Excellent
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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. :-)
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A National treasure
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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!
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Tough Trainer
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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
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Great!
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Enjoyed this book from start to finish as others said it will make you laugh and cry. From buying Red Rum in 1970 to Amberleigh House winning the national in 2004 it gives you a real insight into his emotions during the race. 5 Star.
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Dreams Can come True!
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Having worked for Ginger, I found that this book is full of honesty. I couldn't put the book down, there's funny bits and sad things but it's a dream that became reality. It's a very good read for somebody who likes reading biographys and not just for the racing fan.
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