Brian Fletcher in the UK. Fletcher died on 11 January 2017 at the age of 69. Brian Fletcher Brian Fletcher (18 May 1947 – 11 January 2017) was an English jockey known for riding the horse Red Rum to win the Grand National in 1973 and 1974 and for second place in 1975. He first won the Grand National at the age of 20, in 1968 riding Red Alligator. Fletcher began his horse racing career aged 16 with trainer Denys Smith. In 1967, Fletcher rode Red Alligator in the 1967 Grand National, finishing third. The next year, Fletcher rode Red Alligator and
Red Splash jockey, Dick Rees, was engaged to take the ride on Red Splash. The five-year-old started at odds of 5/1 in a nine-runner field with his biggest rivals looking to be Forewarned, Gerald L, and Conjuror (third in the 1923 Grand National). After leading in the early stages, Red Splash dropped back but recovered to regain the lead at the second-last fence. The final stages saw a sustained three-way struggle as Red Splash fought off strong challenges from Conjuror and Gerald L to prevail by a head and a neck. Following his victory at Cheltenham, Red Splash was highly regarded, being