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On Rubstic' first appearance in the Grand National in 1979, he won by one and a half lengths, from Zongalero. Bred from I Say out; who achieved third place in the Epsom Derby in 1965; out of Lueze, who had never been raced, Rubstic unsurprisingly cost just 500 guineas to buy as a yearling. He was bought by John Douglas, the former British Lions rugby player, and trained by Charles Bell in Roxburghshire, but it wasn't long before he was sent into the hands of Gordon W. Richards, under whom he won twice over fences. On his return to Scotland he went to the yard of John Leadbetter, winning the Durham National Chase at Sedgefield as well as being twice runner up in the Scottish National. Both these races proved his stamina and jumping ability with the former being a three and a half miler and the latter a four mile race. This track record which also included having never fallen in a race, set him up well for the National, but he went off as one of eight horses priced at 25-1, simply because of the fact that he was a Scottish horse, and the National had never previously been won by a horse trained in Scotland.
It wasn't just Rubstic that was a National first timer, it was also his jockey Maurice Barnes' first experience of the race. Maurice at least had his father's experience on his side - Tommy Barnes, in his first and last ride in the National in 1962, had finished second on Wyndburgh. From Becher's onwards the race was a tight one, with Rubstic battling Zongalero and Wagner for the lead in the run up to The Chair, and the favourite, Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Alverton wasn't far behind. There were a lot of free runners getting in the way, with many of them veering across the course at The Chair, putting nine of the remaining contenders out of the race. It seemed at this point that Alverton, being raced by Jonjo O'Neill was going to win the race but crashed to the ground at the second Becher's. By the last fence three horses were in contention for the lead - Rubstic, Zongalero and Rough and Tumble. Rubstic's stamina was what won him the race, with only seven of the thirty-four starters completing the course. Coming second place for Zongalero meant that he achieved a very frustrating treble - a runner up hat trick, having recently come second in the Mackeson Gold Cup and the Massey-Ferguson Gold Cup. Scotland's first Grand National winner returned to the race in 1980, and having won his two races preceding Aintree, he was 8-1 favourite. However he was raised eleven pounds in the weights. Unfortunately for the first time in his career he fell after mistiming his jump at The Chair - just as he had been closing in on the leader Delmoss. The following year saw him third in the betting at 11-1, but he finished only seventh in a field of thirty nine.
Get more news on the latest Cheltenham Odds plus a detailed guide to the big race, the Gold Cup. You can also read about the history of the Cheltenham Festival and steeplechasing in the United Kingdom.
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