Brian Fletcher (18 May 1947 – 11 January 2017) was an English jockey known for riding the horse

Red Rum Red Rum (3 May 1965 – 18 October 1995) was a champion Thoroughbred steeplechaser. He achieved an unmatched historic treble when he won the Grand National in 1973, 1974 and 1977, and also came second in the two intervening years, 1975 ...

to win the

Grand National The Grand National is a National Hunt horse race held annually at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool, England. First run in 1839, it is a handicap ...

in 1973 and

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; f ...

and for second place in

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

. He first won the Grand National at the age of 20, in 1968 riding

Red Alligator Red Alligator was a champion Thoroughbred racehorse who won the Grand National in 1968. He also came third the previous year and was favorite in 1969 but fell at the 19th fence. Red Alligator was the third horse in succession to carry exactly 1 ...

Horse racing career

Fletcher began his horse racing career aged 16 with trainer

Denys Smith Denys Smith (13 August 1924 – 13 November 2016) was a British racehorse trainer whose horses competed in both Flat racing and National Hunt racing. Smith's training stables were located at Bishop Auckland in County Durham. He trained the winn ...

. In 1967, Fletcher rode Red Alligator in the 1967 Grand National, finishing third. The next year, Fletcher rode Red Alligator and won the Grand National. The day before, Fletcher had had a fall and most fellow jockeys had not expected him to race in the event. After missing 10 months after a head injury sustained in 1972, Fletcher returned to horse racing. He won the 1973 and 1974 Grand Nationals riding Red Rum. His record winning time on Red Rum in the 1973

Grand National The Grand National is a National Hunt horse race held annually at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool, England. First run in 1839, it is a handicap ...

was to stand for 17 years till beaten by

Mr Frisk Mr Frisk (c.1979 – September 2000) was a Thoroughbred racehorse, famous for his victory in the 1990 Grand National. He completed the course in record time of 8 minutes and 47.80 seconds, ridden by Marcus Armytage; this still stands, even ...

ridden by

Marcus Armytage Marcus Armytage orn is a journalist and former National Hunt jockey who won the Grand National as an amateur in 1990, riding Mr Frisk. He was educated at Eton College. Armytage's win in the 1990 Grand National on Mr Frisk came in a record time ...

, and apart from

Ernie Piggott Ernest Piggott (1878–1967) was a leading British jump racing jockey, whose family has become one of the leading dynasties in British horseracing. He was three times Champion Jockey and three times Grand National winner. His son, (Ernest) Keit ...

, (

Lester Piggott Lester Keith Piggott (5 November 1935 – 29 May 2022) was an English professional jockey and trainer. With 4,493 career flat racing wins in Britain, including a record nine Epsom Derby victories, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest f ...

's grandfather) and

George Stevens George Cooper Stevens (December 18, 1904 – March 8, 1975) was an American film director, film producer, producer, screenwriter and cinematographer.Obituary ''Variety Obituaries, Variety'', March 12, 1975, page 79. Films he produced were nomi ...

(who won five times in the 19th century), Fletcher is the only jockey to have won the Grand National three times. In 1974, Fletcher also won the

Scottish Grand National The Scottish Grand National is a Grade 3 National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Ayr, Scotland, over a distance of about 4 miles ( ...

riding Red Rum, and Fletcher came second to

Josh Gifford Josh Gifford (3 August 1941 – 9 February 2012) was a jockey and trainer in National Hunt racing. He was a four-time Champion Jockey, riding 642 winners in his career. He retired from training in 2002, aged 60, and his son Nick Gifford took ...

in the jockeys' title race. In 1976, Fletcher had a dispute with Red Rum's trainer

Ginger McCain Donald "Ginger" McCain (21 September 1930 – 19 September 2011) was an English horse trainer who led the champion steeplechaser Red Rum to three Grand National victories in the 1970s. A former national serviceman in the Royal Air Force as a mo ...

, and rode the 1976 Grand National on Eyecatcher, finishing third. He retired in 1976.

Personal life and death

Fletcher was born and brought up in Cockfield,

County Durham County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. is a ceremonial county in North East England.North East Assembly �About North East E ...

. He later farmed sheep and bred

Welsh Cob The Welsh Pony and Cob is a group of four closelyrelated horse breeds including both pony and cob types, which originated in Wales in the United Kingdom. The four sections within the breed society for the Welsh breeds are primarily distinguis ...

s on a farm in

Carmarthenshire Carmarthenshire ( cy, Sir Gaerfyrddin; or informally ') is a county in the south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. The county is known as ...

, Wales. After his move to Wales, Fletcher took part in

Harness Racing Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait (a trot or a pace). They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, or spider, or chariot occupied by a driver. In Europe, and less frequently in Australi ...

, winning driving Hendre Harrier in September 2004 at Ammanford and was occasionally invited as VIP to racing meets in the UK. Fletcher died on 11 January 2017 at the age of 69. He had been ill for some time.

References

External links

*
Face to Face with a Superstar, Winning Post, August 2007 (incl photo of Brian Fletcher)
1947 births 2017 deaths English jockeys Deaths from cancer in England People from Cockfield, County Durham Sportspeople from County Durham {{England-horseracing-bio-stub