Grand National: Meet the racehorse superheroes | CNN

Meet the racehorse superheroes

By Danielle Rossingh, for CNN
2 minute read
Published 10:31 AM EDT, Wed April 3, 2019
Marvel artists Martin Griffiths and Simon Furman have turned Britain's racehorse legends into superheroes with their very own comic book, joining the likes of Spider-Man, Captain Marvel and Black Panther.
Marvel artists Martin Griffiths and Simon Furman have turned Britain's racehorse legends into superheroes with their very own comic book, joining the likes of Spider-Man, Captain Marvel and Black Panther.
The Jockey Club
'Magnificent Racehorses' tells the stories of ten of Britain's greatest racehorses. They were selected after a poll by The Jockey Club, which runs some of the world's leading racecourses, including Liverpool's Aintree, which will stage the Grand National on Saturday.
'Magnificent Racehorses' tells the stories of ten of Britain's greatest racehorses. They were selected after a poll by The Jockey Club, which runs some of the world's leading racecourses, including Liverpool's Aintree, which will stage the Grand National on Saturday.
courtesy The Jockey Club
British monarch Queen Elizabeth II, an avid horsewoman and racehorse owner, also makes an appearance in the comic book. Here she is with her Gold Cup-winning horse, Estimate. The original painting of the Queen was commissioned by The Jockey Club, and can be found in The Jockey Club Rooms in Newmarket, England.
British monarch Queen Elizabeth II, an avid horsewoman and racehorse owner, also makes an appearance in the comic book. Here she is with her Gold Cup-winning horse, Estimate. The original painting of the Queen was commissioned by The Jockey Club, and can be found in The Jockey Club Rooms in Newmarket, England.
The Jockey Club
No equine superhero comic book would be complete without Red Rum, the only horse to have won the Grand National at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool, England, three times. Red Rum won the National 1973, 1974 and 1977, and finished in second place in 1975 and 1976. Trained by Ginger McCain, he died in 1995 at the age of 30.
No equine superhero comic book would be complete without Red Rum, the only horse to have won the Grand National at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool, England, three times. Red Rum won the National 1973, 1974 and 1977, and finished in second place in 1975 and 1976. Trained by Ginger McCain, he died in 1995 at the age of 30.
The Jockey Club
Desert Orchid, nicknamed 'Dessie' was one of the most loved jump horses in recent memory, winning 34 of 70 starts, amassing £654,066 in prize money, between 1984 and 1990. The dashing grey triumphed in the 1989 Gold Cup and also won the King George VI Chase at Kempton four times. After his death in 2006 at the age of 27, his ashes were buried at Kempton Park Racecourse, near his statue.
Desert Orchid, nicknamed 'Dessie' was one of the most loved jump horses in recent memory, winning 34 of 70 starts, amassing £654,066 in prize money, between 1984 and 1990. The dashing grey triumphed in the 1989 Gold Cup and also won the King George VI Chase at Kempton four times. After his death in 2006 at the age of 27, his ashes were buried at Kempton Park Racecourse, near his statue.
The Jockey Club
The rivalry between Denman and Kauto Star at the Cheltenham Gold Cup captured the imagination of the British public a decade ago. Nicknamed 'The Tank' for his fierce galloping and courage, Denman won the Gold Cup in 2008. Kauto Star, his stablemate and best friend at the yard of their trainer Paul Nicholls in Ditcheat, Somerset in England, triumphed in the Gold Cup in 2007 and 2009, and also won a record five King George VI Chases between 2006 and 2011.
The rivalry between Denman and Kauto Star at the Cheltenham Gold Cup captured the imagination of the British public a decade ago. Nicknamed 'The Tank' for his fierce galloping and courage, Denman won the Gold Cup in 2008. Kauto Star, his stablemate and best friend at the yard of their trainer Paul Nicholls in Ditcheat, Somerset in England, triumphed in the Gold Cup in 2007 and 2009, and also won a record five King George VI Chases between 2006 and 2011.
The Jockey Club
Meet the racehorse superheroes
CNN  — 

Red Rum, Frankel and Kauto Star were all legends on the racetrack in their own right, and now they have been turned into superheroes in a new comic book, in which even British monarch Queen Elizabeth II makes an appearance.

Red Rum, the only horse to have won this weekend’s Grand National three times, the unbeaten Frankel and two-time Gold Cup winner Kauto Star star in the ‘Magnificent Racehorses,’ which tells the stories of ten of Britain’s greatest racehorses.

Created by artists Martin Griffiths and Simon Furman, who also work for Marvel, the equine superstars now join the likes of Spider-Man and Black Panther with their very own superhero comic book.

The horses were selected after a poll by The Jockey Club, which runs some of the world’s leading racecourses, including Liverpool’s Aintree, which will stage the Grand National on Saturday.

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The Queen

“Horseracing is the second biggest spectator sport in Britain and we want to ensure a new generation of fans are constantly discovering the drama and excitement of its stories,” Paul Fisher, chief executive of Jockey Club Racecourses, said in a press release.

“Working with some of the best artists to immortalize British racing’s greatest stars in comic book form will hopefully appeal to our sport’s existing fans and inspire new ones including youngsters to experience the thrill of racing themselves,” added Fisher.

The British Queen, The Patron of The Jockey Club and a two-time champion racehorse owner, makes an appearance in the comic book alongside her prized horse, Estimate.

The ten racehorses include Denman, Kauto Star, Altior, Desert Orchid, Eclipse, Sprinter Sacre, Enable, Nijinsky, Red Rum and Frankel.