Rubstic

Rubstic
Sire	I Say
Dam	Leuze
Damsire	Vimy
Sex	Gelding
Foaled	1969[1]
Country	United Kingdom
Colour	Seal brown
Owner	John Douglas
Trainer	John Leadbetter
Major wins
Grand National (1979)

Rubstic (1969-1995) was a British-bred Thoroughbred racehorse who competed in National Hunt racing.

Rubstic was owned by the former Scottish international rugby player John Douglas. He became the first Scottish-trained horse to win the Grand National when he won the 1979 race.

Racing career

It's anybody's race as they race into the final furlong, and it's Rubstic on the nearside with the advantage over Zongalero and the weakening Rough and Tumble as they race up towards the line, it's gonna be a victory for Scotland, it's Rubstic from Zongalero in the National, and as they come to the line, Rubstic wins it..

Commentator Peter O'Sullevan describes the climax of the 1979 National

Rubstic won the Grand National at the first time of asking in 1979 under jockey Maurice Barnes. The win was even more remarkable as it marked the National debuts for not only the horse but also for the jockey, trainer and owner.

Rubstic came into the race as the smallest horse on the card and was seen as an outsider but he ran well and despite a mistake on the second fence from which he managed to recover he pulled away from Zongalero in the final straight to win by 2 lengths. The race was heavily influenced by loose horses and only seven runners finished as the race was marred by two fatalities.^[2]

Rubstic would go on to race in the next two Nationals. He fell for the only time in his career during the 1980 Grand National at the 15th fence before returning a year later and finishing seventh in 1981.

In 1995 Rubstic died at the age of 26 in Ladykirk where he had been living in retirement under the care of his former trainer John Leadbetter.^[3]

Grand National record

Grand National	Position	Jockey	Age	Weight	SP	Distance
1979	1st	Maurice Barnes	10	10-0	25/1	Won by 2 lengths
1980	DNF	Maurice Barnes	11	10-11	8/1	Fell at fence 15
1981	7th	Maurice Barnes	12	10-7	11/1

Pedigree

Pedigree of Rubstic (GB), bay gelding, 1975^[4]

Sire I Say (GB) 1962	Sayajirao (GB) 1944	Nearco (ITY)	Pharos (GB)
			Nogara (ITY)
		Rosy Legend (FRA)	Dark Legend (GB)
			Rosy Cheeks (FRA)
	Isetta (IRE) 1943	Norland (GB)	Gainsborough (GB)
			Lichen (GB)
		Isolda (FRA)	Rustom Pasha (GB)
			Yveline (FRA)
Dam Leuze (GB) 1963	Vimy (FRA) 1952	Wild Risk (FRA)	Rialto (FRA)
			Wild Violet (FRA)
		Mimi (FRA)	Black Devil (USA)
			Mignon (FRA)
	Over the Border 1945	Scottish Union (GB)	Cameronian (GB)
			Trustful (IRE)
		Lapel (FRA)	Apelle (ITY)
			Lampeto (IRE)

References

1. "Rubstic profile". Racing Post. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
2. "Rubstic 1979 win". grand-national.me.uk. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
3. "Rubstic dies at 26". Independent. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
4. "Rubstic pedigree". pedigreequery.com. Retrieved 11 April 2021.