How Peter O'Sullevan planned to have Crisp finally get his Grand National win

It is the most agonising defeat in the history of British racing – and one legendary commentator Peter O'Sullevan planned to correct, only to be denied the chance by a quirk of the calendar.

Crisp produced an astonishing display of jumping and galloping in the 1973 Grand National, holding an enormous lead for most of the race, but tired dramatically from the final fence and was overhauled in the dying strides by Red Rum, who was gaining the first of his three National victories.

Crisp's rider Richard Pitman went on to enjoy a 37-year career working for the BBC's racing team, during which time O'Sullevan wanted to put history right should the race have ever taken place on April Fools' Day.

Pitman said: "Because I worked for the BBC, they brought it out again every year and Sir Peter O'Sullevan once said to me that if ever the National fell on April 1, he'd redo the commentary and have them digitally move the winning post a few yards and I'd win. Sadly it never did."

The story was one of many told by Pitman in an enthralling interview for Sunday's Racing Post to mark 50 years since the race, with the 80-year-old also revealing Crisp's problems acclimatising to Britain following his move from Australia in 1970.

Richard Pitman, at home in Letcombe Regis, reflects on the race that changed his lifeCredit: Edward Whitaker

"It was so cold that his hair grew like human hair, not like horse hair, and coming back from the gallops it would dry cold on him," he recalled, "so Fred Winter said we'd have to clip him, which he'd probably never had done before.

"His lad, 'Chipper' Chape, who had come over with him, was given the job, and as soon as he turned the clippers on, they came flying out of the box with Chipper just behind them.

"Later that day they sedated him, but he was huge, 17.2 hands and strong, and the normal quota of dope made no difference, so out flew Chipper again, at which point they took him to the vet's in Lambourn and put him in some stocks, but he went berserk when the clippers went on again and was about to kill himself, so they had to stop."

The solution came in the form of a sedative from a safari park, meaning Crisp "looked magnificent" when he began his British adventure at Wincanton.

"He won under 12st 7lb and never saw another horse," said Pitman. "You could tell he was the bee's knees."

Read more from Richard Pitman in The Big Read, available in Sunday's newspaper or online for Members' Club Ultimate subscribers from 6pm on Saturday. Click here to sign up.

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