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2 unusual facts about Royal Athlete


Royal Athlete

In 1995 his trainer Jenny Pitman tried to talk the owners, Gary and Libby Johnson out of running him at Aintree, confessing to the BBC's Des Lynam in a post race interview that she thought they were "Mad bringing him here 'cause he could win the Scottish National (scheduled to be run two weeks later) doing triple toeloops."

The horse had been among the favourites for the 1993 Grand National but fell in the race, which was later declared void due to an unrecalled false start.



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