Plans to honour Ginger McCain at Aintree racecourse

Racing fans and industry figures are calling for Aintree racecourse to honour Ginger McCain with a permanent memorial.

The trainer, who died on 19 September, was synonymous with the Grand National – having won with Red Rum (1973, 1974,1977) and Amberleigh House (2004).

Ideas include running the 2012 Grand National in his name, naming a fence or a race after him, or erecting a statue on the course next to the one of Red Rum – which has the support of local Labour MP, Bill Esterton.

Aintree has opened a condolences book, but a spokesman said they are in “no rush” to decide how to honour him.

“Ginger has done such great things for Aintree so we want to ensure whatever we do is a fitting tribute,” she said. “After his funeral we will talk with his family to get a feel for what he would have liked.”

And Sefton Council is considering how to honour Ginger’s contribution to Southport – where he used to train Red Rum on the beach.

“Ginger was highly regarded in Sefton and often said Southport remained his true home,” a spokesman told H&H.

This news story was first published in the current issue of Horse & Hound (29 September, 2011)

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