Monty’s Pass, who landed a massive gamble for connections when winning the 2003 Grand National, has died just weeks short of his 30th birthday.
He was the sport’s oldest surviving Grand National winner who lived out his final days at trainer Jimmy Mangan’s stables in Conna, Co Cork. The news was broken by Mangan’s daughter, the broadcaster Jane Mangan, during racing at Navan on Sunday.
“A few days ago my family said goodbye to the horse that made their dreams reality, that proved magic is confined to magicians, and that vets, while they do make educated recommendations, should not be mistaken as fortune tellers," she said.
"Just a few months shy of his 30th birthday, the story of Monty's Pass came to an end, bringing the curtain down on a chapter of our lives that spanned over 25 years.
"The day was always going to come, it was always going to be sad, but rather than it be sad, we are grateful to have had him and to prove that fairytales do come true for ordinary people."
Monty’s Pass ran 57 times under rules, taking eight races to net winnings of over £500,000. But he won even more in bets for the big-punting head of the Dee Racing Syndicate, Mike Futter, a bingo hall owner from Bangor, Northern Ireland.
Futter reportedly landed more than £200,000 when Monty’s Pass secured the 2002 Kerry National prize, a victory which fuelled dreams of going for the Grand National the following April.
He was given an old-fashioned Irish preparation with two runs in novice hurdles and when lining up at Aintree was the subject of a huge gamble before the off as his odds tumbled from 40-1 to 16-1.
Despite the race being regarded as the strongest Grand National field in years, Monty’s Pass, under Barry Geraghty, travelled with the leaders throughout and drew away from by 12 lengths. Futter estimated his winnings were in excess of £800,000.
Paying his own tribute, Geraghty said: "He was magic for me. I rode him first when I was 21. I took over from JT [McNamara] who won a hunter's chase on him. He was an amazing horse. He was gorgeous in every sense and improved and improved with every run.
"We had so much fun, we had great times. I loved riding him, loved riding for your dad [Jimmy Mangan], the syndicate that owned him.
"He was such a gorgeous horse. He was still clever, so nimble, he was so honest. I didn't know he had a heart condition, you'd never know there was an issue with him when you rode him. He was just an absolute star and he was a privilege."
