Toby McCain-Mitchell set to carry the spirit of Red Rum in first ever National ride

Toby McCain-Mitchell is dreaming of writing his own chapter of Randox Grand National history when the grandson of Ginger McCain tackles the race his name will always be indelibly linked to for the first time.

No family has a richer affinity with the National than that of the McCains. Out of the legend of Red Rum and Ginger came Amberleigh House, while the jockey’s uncle Donald McCain would add his own signature to the race his father made his own when Ballabriggs triumphed in 2011.

Now after being brought up on the fabled tales of those before him, the 24-year-old will attempt to become the third generation of the McCain dynasty to conquer Aintree’s famous spruce when he partners Top Of The Bill in the world’s most famous steeplechase.

McCain-Mitchell told the Press Association: “I’m looking forward to it and it’s certainly a dream come true.

“I suppose it has always been a bit like destiny to ride in the Grand National and it has always been the dream and a goal of mine to ride in the race.

“Hopefully Saturday is a proud day for the family, but I did see an interview with grandad not too long after Ballabriggs won in 2011 and one of the questions was ‘what was your last Grand National ambition?’. He said he wanted to live long enough to see one of his grandchildren turn a*** over t** at one of the ditches down the back. Hopefully that doesn’t happen!”

Since the death of the Grand National’s only three-time winner in 1995, every runner from the McCain stable that has since undertaken the challenge of racing’s most famous set of fences has done so with a lock of Red Rum’s mane – kept by McCain-Mitchell’s mother, Joanne – sewn into their brow bands.

McCain-Mitchell will uphold tradition by having his own lock of Red Rum inside his riding gloves when he heads out for a race that, given the obvious links, has always been close to his heart.

“It’s a bit silly, but it’s just for good luck,” added McCain on carrying a piece of Red Rum with him into the heat of the Grand National cauldron.

“Obviously Red Rum was before my time, but I’ve watched the replays plenty of times and you only have to step into the office at home or go to nana’s house and you will see enough memorabilia and photos to tell you what he meant, it’s magic.

“Growing up in Cheshire and being a Liverpool supporter it’s always been the race I’ve thought about.

“For Sam and Willy (Twiston-Davies) it would be the Cheltenham Gold Cup being Cheltenham lads, but Aintree would be one of our local tracks back home and obviously with the history of grandad and Donald it makes it all the more special.”

As well as having decades of family history to fall back on, McCain-Mitchell will be linking up with another family well-accustomed to Grand National glory when receiving the leg-up from two-time winner Nigel Twiston-Davies.

Now training alongside his son Willy, the Twiston-Davies team have provided the fledgling jockey with two of his biggest victories to date, one of them coming in Grand National-winning colours of Corbiere when steering Beauport to Berkshire National Handicap success in 2024.

It will be Sam Twiston-Davies who will be aboard Beauport in the Aintree marathon, leaving McCain-Mitchell to continue his fine association with Top Of The Bill, who was a winner at Haydock for the 5lb claimer in November before returning to the Merseyside track to go close in the Grand National Trial in February.

McCain-Mitchell said: “He’s a horse who has been good to me and I’m very thankful to Nigel, Willy, Jim Old and Mr (Charles) Walker for keeping me on him and hopefully we’re not done with having some fun with him anyway.

“He’s a big price, but if we can get a clear run round we’ll do our best and see what happens.”