Beardwood, Billy

Billy Beardwood RIP

The following was posted to me by George Quinn.

I saw your post on Betfair forum. It got me thinking about Billy Beardwood, a lad I knew in Liverpool.  Billy went to Newmarket to work for Paul Davy.  I left Liverpool but used to see Billy on telly occasionally, leading Red Rum.

I did a search, and, sadly, came across Billy's obituary.

BILLY Beardwood, the stable lad who looked after Grand National legend Red Rum, was buried yesterday near his home town of Bootle, Merseyside after dying last week. "The good Billy," as he was affectionately known at Ginger McCain's Bankhouse Stables, died suddenly last Tuesday aged 40, two-and-a-half years after the death of three-time National winner Red Rum. "He was a first class lad who struck up a truly great association with Red Rum after taking over from Brian Ellison, the horse's first lad," said Ginger McCain, who attended yesterday's funeral with his wife, Beryl. Red Rum, who had already defeated Crisp in the 1973 Grand National and L'Escargot a year later, ran three times in the Aintree marathon when under Beardwood's care, finishing runner-up to L'Escargot in 1975 and to Rag Trade the following year, before securing an emotional third National victory in 1977. 

"Billy joined me, aged 18, just prior to Red Rum's third run in the National in 1975 and the pair clicked immediately," said McCain. "Taking on a horse that had already won two Nationals was of course a tremendous responsibility, but Billy handled the pressure superbly. 

"Red Rum was a very bright, lively horse, but Billy handled him magnificently. The horse had tremendous confidence in him, and I couldn't put a value on the lad's contribution to our Grand National success." 

Beardwood joined McCain from Paul Davy's Newmarket yard, and in addition to spending "six or seven great years as 'Rummy's' lad," rode several winners for the stable. Beardwood ended his association with racing after a spell at John Jenkins. 

"Billy really was a super lad, a first class horseman, and one of the best 'strappers' I've ever seen," said McCain. 

"He accompanied the horse in retirement all over the British Isles, and nowadays there are very few lads in racing like him. He was an absolutely stone-cold top class lad."

Billy was a Liverpool lad who supported Everton. One day Ginger McCain told him that Bill Shankly, the larger-than-life manager of Liverpool, was coming to the yard. Billy came in that morning wearing his Everton scarf, and placed another blue & white scarf around the neck of Red Rum. That amounted to a blue rag to a Liverpool man, of course. Shanks took one look at Billy stationed inside Red Rum's stable and growled in his deep Scottish accent, 'Aye, son. An Everton fan I see. Well that horse of yours has won more Nationals than Everton has won matches this season.'