Grand National

Grade 3 race
Grand National
A Grand National Impression (1926)
Location	Aintree Racecourse Merseyside, England
Race type	Chase
Sponsor	John Smith's
Website	aintree.co.uk
Race information
Distance	4m 4f (7,242 metres)
Track	Turf, left-handed
Qualification	Six-years-old and up rated 110+ by BHB
Weight	Handicap Maximum: 11 st 10 lb
Purse	£900,000 (2009) 1st: £506,970

The Grand National is a famous National Hunt horse race which is held at Aintree in England. It is a handicap chase run over a distance of about 4 miles and 856 yards^[1] (approximately 7¼ km), and during its running there are thirty fences to be jumped. It is presently scheduled to take place each year on a Saturday afternoon in early April.

It is the most valuable National Hunt event in Great Britain, and in 2009 it offered a total prize fund of £900,000. The race is popular amongst many people who do not normally watch or bet on horse racing at other times of the year. It is also one of the most controversial, due to the injuries and fatalities suffered by participating horses. This makes it a target for animal rights groups, which have campaigned to have it banned.^[2][3] In one hundred and sixty-two runnings of the race there have been fifty-eight equine fatalities, four of which came in one year, 1954.

Event

The race is run over two circuits of Aintree's National Course, which is triangular in shape and on which there are sixteen fences.^[1] All, except The Chair and the Water-Jump, are jumped twice. Some fences are notorious for their severity, particularly Becher's Brook^[4] and The Chair, although in recent years this severity has been much reduced due to pressure from various animal rights groups. The Grand National is the centrepiece of a three-day meeting, one of only four run at Aintree in the racing season.

It is one of ten events reserved for live broadcast on UK terrestrial television under the ITC Code on Sports and Other Listed Events. It is estimated that the Grand National is watched worldwide by over 600 million viewers.^[5]

In 2006 the Grand National sponsors John Smith's Brewery launched the John Smith's People's Race which gives 10 members of the public the chance to ride in a flat race at Aintree on Grand National day.^[6]

From a betting perspective, the Grand National forms the second leg of the Spring Double – the first leg is the Lincoln Handicap.

A fictional account of a young girl training the winner of the Grand National by Enid Bagnold was made into a film, National Velvet, starring the young Elizabeth Taylor as the heroine, Velvet Brown. The events surrounding the 1981 National, and the winning jockey, Bob Champion, were also dramatised in the film Champions.

History

Becher's Brook, 1890, engraving of horses jumping the famous fence in the Grand National steeplechase at Aintree

The Big Raspers At Aintree , 1927 painting of an incident at the Grand National

The event was founded by William Philip Molyneux, 2nd Earl of Sefton, on land he owned at Aintree. There is much debate among historians regarding the first official race held and the majority of leading published historians such as John Pinfold, for example now prefer the idea that the first running was in 1836 and was won by The Duke.^[7] This same horse triumphed again in 1837,^[8] while Sir William was the winner in 1838. These races have long been disregarded because of the belief that the 1837 and 1838 runnings took place at Maghull and not Aintree. In the last twenty years, several race historians have unearthed evidence that these three races were all run over the same course at Aintree and were regarded as having been Grand Nationals up until the mid 1860s.^[7] To date though, their calls for the Nationals of 1836–38 to be restored to the record books have been unsuccessful. Between the 1838 and 1839 runnings three major events occurred to catapult the Liverpool race from a small local affair to a national event. The Great St Albans chase, which had clashed with the Liverpool, was not renewed after 1838, which left a major hole in the chasing calendar, The railway arrived in Liverpool, which made transportation to the course by rail a possibility for the first time and a committee was formed to better organise the event. These three factors led to a much more highly publicised race in 1839 which attracted a larger field of top quality horses and riders, greater press coverage and an increased attendance on the day. Over time the first three runnings of the event were quickly forgotten to secure the 1839 race its place in history as the first official running of the race. It was won by the aptly named horse, Lottery, ridden by Jem Mason.

For three years during World War I, while Aintree racecourse was closed, an alternative race was run at Gatwick Racecourse, on the site of the present Gatwick Airport. The first of these races, in 1916, was called the Racecourse Association Steeplechase, and in the following two years the race was known as the War National Steeplechase. The races at Gatwick are not always recognised as "Grand Nationals," however, and their results are often omitted from winners' lists.

During the 1950s the Grand National was dominated by Vincent O'Brien who trained the winner of the race for three consecutive years between 1953 and 1955. Early Mist won the race in 1953 with Royal Tan winning in 1954 and the hat-trick of victories for the Irish trainer was completed by Quare Times in 1955.

The 1967 running was won by rank outsider Foinavon, ridden by Johnny Buckingham, after a melee at the 23rd fence when two loose horses pulled up in front of the field, caused the many others to stop or refuse. Foinavon was running so far behind that Buckingham managed to avoid the incident and scrape round ahead of 17 remounted horses, coming home at odds of 100/1.

By far the most successful horse in Grand National history was Red Rum, the only horse to win three times, in 1973, 1974, and in 1977. He also came in second in the two intervening years, 1975 and 1976. In 1973, he beat the champion Crisp who had to carry 12 stone, in what is arguably the most memorable Grand National of all time.^[9]

In 1993, the result of the race was declared void after a series of incidents at the start meant the starting tape failed to rise correctly, causing several horses and jockeys to be caught up in it. A false start was declared, but lack of communication between course officials meant that 30 out of the 39 jockeys did not realise this and started to race. Course officials tried to stop the horses by waving red flags next to The Chair at the end of the first circuit. However, many jockeys thought that these people were protesters and so continued to race. Peter Scudamore stopped only because he saw his usual trainer Martin Pipe waving frantically at him. Seven horses ran the course in its entirety, forcing a void result. The first past the post of the horses that ran was Esha Ness, ridden by John White and trained by Jenny Pitman.

In 1997, the Saturday meeting was abandoned after two coded bomb threats were received, reportedly from the IRA. 60,000 spectators, jockeys, race personnel and local residents were evacuated, and the course was secured by police. The race was eventually run on the Monday, with the meeting organisers offering free admission. Some 20,000 people were left stranded over the weekend, with cars and coaches locked in the course. With limited accommodation in the city and surrounding areas, local residents opened their doors and took in many of those stranded.

Many well known jockeys have failed to win the Grand National. These include champion jockeys such as Terry Biddlecombe, John Francome, Josh Gifford, Stan Mellor, Jonjo O'Neill (who never finished the race), Fred Rimell and Peter Scudamore. More recently, multiple champion and record holder Tony McCoy has failed to win the race along with contemporaries Richard Johnson, and Adrian Maguire. Three jockeys who led over the last fence in the National and just lost the race on the run-in ended up as TV racing pundits. These were Lord Oaksey on Carrickbeg in 1963, Norman Williamson on Mely Moss in 2000, and Richard Pitman on Crisp in 1973. The same fate occurred to Pitman's son Mark on Garrison Savannah in 1991.

Twelve mares have won the race: Miss Mowbray (1852), Anatis (1860), Jealousy (1861), Emblem (1863), Emblematic (1864), Casse Tete (1872), Empress (1880), Zoedone (1883), Frigate (1889), Shannon Lass (1902), Sheila's Cottage (1948) and Nickel Coin (1951).

Records

Most successful horse (3 wins):

• Red Rum – 1973, 1974, 1977 (also finished second in 1975 and 1976)

Leading jockey (5 wins):

• George Stevens – Freetrader (1856), Emblem (1863), Emblematic (1864), The Colonel (1869, 1870)

Leading trainer (4 wins):

• Fred Rimell – E.S.B. (1956), Nicolaus Silver (1961), Gay Trip (1970), Rag Trade (1976)
• Ginger McCain – Red Rum (1973, 1974, 1977), Amberleigh House (2004)

Leading owner (3 wins):

• James Machell – Disturbance (1873), Reugny (1874), Regal (1876)
• Noel Le Mare – Red Rum (1973, 1974, 1977)

• Fastest winning time – 8m 47.8s, Mr Frisk (1990) ^[10]
• Oldest winning horse – Peter Simple, aged 15 (1853)
• Youngest winning horse – Alcibiade (1865), Regal (1876), Austerlitz (1877), Empress (1880), Lutteur III (1909), all aged 5
• Oldest winning jockey – Dick Saunders, aged 48 (1982)
• Youngest winning jockey – Bruce Hobbs, aged 17 (1938)
• Longest odds winner – Tipperary Tim (1928), Gregalach (1929), Caughoo (1947), Foinavon (1967), Mon Mome (2009), all 100/1
• Shortest odds winner – Poethlyn (1919), 11/4
• Largest field – 66 runners (1929)
• Smallest field – 10 runners (1883)
• Most horses to finish – 23 (1984)
• Fewest horses to finish – 2 (1928)

Winners

Aintree publish a roll of honour in their race cards each year and is based on a list complied largely from the fading memories of aging racing enthusiasts sometime around 1880-1890. By their own admission Aintree agree that their honours record prior to 1860 is notoriously inaccurate therefore the British Horseracing Board's records taken from the press accounts of the time have been used as a more reliable source for the connections of winners prior to 1860.

• Weights given in stones and pounds.
• Amateur jockeys indicated by a title, eg. "Mr", "Capt.", "Lord" etc.

^a  The 1843 winner Vanguard was trained at Lord Chesterfield's private stables at Bretby Hall.
^b  The race was abandoned from 1941 to 1945 because of World War II.
^c  The 1993 running was declared void because some of the horses failed to be called back after a false start.

Unofficial winners

Pre-1839

The first official running of the "Grand National" is now considered to be the 1839 Grand Liverpool Steeplechase. There had been a similar race for several years prior to this, but its status as an official Grand National was revoked some time between 1862 and 1873.

1916–18

For three years during World War I, the Grand National could not be run at Aintree, and so a substitute event was held at another racecourse, Gatwick. This venue is now defunct, and it is presently the site of Gatwick Airport. The course was modified to make it similar to Aintree, and the races were contested over the same distance, with one less fence to be jumped. The 1916 running was titled the Racecourse Association Steeplechase, and for the next two years it was known as the War National.

Notes

• 1836 – The Duke won the inaugural Great Liverpool Steeplechase, which would be later renamed the Grand National.
• 1905 – Kirkland, based in Pembrokeshire, is the only winner to be trained in Wales.
• 1923 – Sergeant Murphy became the first American-bred horse to win the Grand National.
• 1926 – William Watkinson recorded the first riding success for Australia. The Tasmanian-born rider was killed at Bogside in Scotland less than three weeks later.
• 1927 – The first BBC radio commentary of the race, by Meyrick Good and George Allison.
• 1934 – The only horse to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup and Grand National in the same season – Golden Miller.
• 1938 – The American-bred Battleship, son of the famous Man o' War, became the first (and so far only) horse to have won both the Grand National and the American Grand National (won four years earlier).
• 1951 - Nickel Coin is the 13th and last mare to win the race.
• 1956 – Devon Loch, owned by the Queen Mother and ridden by Dick Francis, was in the lead and certain to win when he inexplicably leapt and unseated the jockey on the run-in, 50 yards (45 m) from the finish, giving victory to E.S.B.
• 1960 – The race was televised for the first time. Since then it has always been shown by the BBC.
• 1961 – The most recent grey horse to win the race – Nicolaus Silver. The only previous grey to win was The Lamb (1868 and 1871).
• 1962 – Wyndburgh finished runner-up for the third time, but was never to win the race.
• 1967 – A pile up at the 23rd fence held up many horses in the race, allowing 100/1 outsider, Foinavon, to win.
• 1968 – The favourite for the race, Different Class, was owned by actor Gregory Peck.
• 1975 – The second Cheltenham Gold Cup winner to win the Grand National – L'Escargot.
• 1977 – Red Rum's third victory in the Grand National.
• 1977 – The first female jockey rode in the race. Charlotte Brew rode 200/1 shot Barony Fort, who refused at the fourth fence from home.
• 1979 – Rubstic, based in Roxburghshire, was the first winner to be trained in Scotland.
• 1981 – Bob Champion, who had been diagnosed with cancer and told he only had months to live in 1979, was the winning jockey on Aldaniti, who had almost been retired because of leg trouble. A film was made of their story entitled Champions.
• 1982 – The first female jockey to complete the race – Geraldine Rees, finished 8th (last) on 66/1 outsider Cheers.
• 1983 – The first woman to train the winner – Jenny Pitman, with Corbiere.
• 1990 – Jockey Chris Grant came second in the race for the third time (previous years were 1986 and 1988).
• 1991 – The race was won by a horse called Seagram – coincidentally the race was sponsored at the time by the company Seagram. The company had previous chances to buy the horse.
• 1992 – Party Politics won the race just five days before the 1992 UK General Election. Carl Llewellyn got his winning ride only because the horse's regular jockey Andrew Adams was injured. In 1998 he got another winning ride, this time because of an injury to that horse's regular jockey, Tom Jenks.
• 1993 – The race was declared void after many of the riders did not hear the starter's recall. The first horse past the post was Esha Ness, ridden by John White.
• 1997 – The delayed race (rescheduled 48 hours later after a suspected IRA bomb threat) was the last of 50 Nationals (including the void race of 1993) to be commentated on by Peter O'Sullevan.
• 2001 – Richard Guest's winning ride on Red Marauder subsequently won the Lester Award for "Jump Ride of the Year".
• 2005 – The race was moved back by 25 minutes owing to the wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles.
• 2009 - Mon Mome, trained by Venetia Williams, became the longest price winner since Foinavon in 1967.

See also

• Horseracing in Great Britain
• List of British National Hunt races

References

• Racing Post:
  • 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998
  • 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
  • 2009

• aintree.co.uk – Winners 1886–present.
• aintree.co.uk – 2009 John Smith's Grand National Media Guide.
• bbc.co.uk – Grand National facts.
• britishhorseracing.com – Previous Winners.
• horseracinghistory.co.uk – Grand National.
• pedigreequery.com – Grand National – Aintree.
• tbheritage.com – The Grand National.

External links

• BBC history of Grand National