Horses

Of course, the most successful horse in the recent history of the Grand National was Tiger Roll, who won back-to-back renewals of the world famous steeplechase in 2018 and 2019, but was denied the chance of a third win by the coronavirus pandemic, in 2020, and by his owner, Michael O’Leary, in 2021 and 2022. Readers of a certain age may also remember – and everyone will almost certainly have heard of – Red Rum, who won the Grand National an unprecedented three times, in 1973, 1974, and 1977.

However, the names of the other multiple winners of the Grand National – of which there are six, seven or eight, depending on the ground rules applied – are probably less familiar. To clarify, The Duke won the first two runnings of the Grand Liverpool Steeplechase, in 1836 and 1837, but the races were subsequently stricken, some historians say erroneously, from the ‘official’ Grand National records. Likewise, Poethyln won the so-called ‘War National’, staged at Gatwick in 1918, and won again when the Grand National returned to Aintree in 1919.

As far as ‘official’ renewals of the Grand National at Aintree are concerned, the first dual winner was Abd-El-Kader, in 1850 and 1851. He was followed by Peter Simple, who had won the Grand National for the first time in 1849, but returned four years later, as a doughty 15-year-old, to do so again. Thereafter, The Lamb (1868 and 1871) and The Colonel (1869 and 1870) won four renewals between them in as many years and, towards the end of the century, the indefatigable Manifesto – who ran in the Grand National a record eight times between 1895 and 1904 – prevailed twice, in 1897 and 1899. Before Red Rum, the last horse to win the Grand National more than once was Reynoldstown, who recorded back-to-back victories in 1935 and 1936; the legendary Golden Miller failed to complete the course on both occasions.

It’s uncanny the number of people who remember the fastest winner of the Grand National. Mr Frisk, ridden by Marcus Armytage, in 1990. In fact, a number of anoraks have stated the time 8m 47.8s.

Clearly, speed wins the day.

It is usually followed by someone saying: ‘The ground was Firm.’

Looking at the race via the Racing Post. The Grand National was very much a different beast back in 1990.

You may be asking: ‘What do you mean?’

Well, on the 7^th April 1990, the Aintree Grand National was sponsored by Seagram and detailed as a (Listed race). 4M 4f on Firm ground. 30 fences, just as it is today. However, there were 38 runners (not even extraordinary fast going could dent the enthusiasm). Also, and this must be a reflection of inflation, the win prize money was £70,870,60. When you consider today’s win prize money is £500,000 it shows which direction things have gone in 30+ years.

Amazingly, the race was run in a course record, fast by (22.20s).

Only one other horse has run under nine minutes: 2015 – Many Clouds (trained by Oliver Sherwood) at odds of 25/1 (8m 56.8).

That is a long introduction to consider the antithesis and the slowest ever Aintree Grand National winner.

I guess it pays to have a little bit of context.

Now, you may be able to use some logic to appreciate the slowest winner (which seems like a contradiction in terms). However there is a touch of irony about the slowest winner of the Grand National.

We have to go back to the first ever running in 1839. Lottery, a nine-year-old, ridden by Jem Mason, trained by George Dockery and owned by John Elmore. Lottery returned the 5/1f. This gelding won in a time of 14m 53.0s.

You may be Saying: ‘How could Lottery be so slow when Mr Frisk was so fast?’

It should be remembered that back in the day, the burden of being a talented horse saw Lottery carry a welter weight of 12 stone. In fact, Lottery was the hot favourite in 1839 with one Victorian commentator saying: ‘He could trot faster than most of his rivals could gallop.’

It should be noted in the early years (until 1847) the race was called The Grand Liverpool. All horses carried level weight (12 stone). Also, the race itself was dramatically eventful as can be seen when Lottery competed in the 1840 Grand Liverpool.

In the smallest ever field of 13 runners, the 4/1 second favourite: ‘Lottery reached the Stone Wall in front of the stands in second place but clipped the top of the obstacle, falling amid a flurry of dismantled masonry…’

This was a very different time.

Even in those days there were welfare issues for horse and jockey. The press were very critical of the incident at the wall where many spectators thought Tom Oliver has been killed by his fall when he was carried away to the stands.

Adding to the mayhem, P. Barker, riding 30/1 outsider Weathercock was later discovered unattended in a barn near Seed’s farm where none of the connections of his mount had made inquiries to his state.

As a result, the wall was replaced with a water jump for the next running.

To be fair, these early races sound so traumatic, I’m surprised anyone thought about timing the race!

In the early years of the twenty-first century, it would be fair to say that something of a ‘hoodoo’ existed for Grand National winners, in terms of ever winning another race. In fact, after Bindaree, who won at Aintree in April 2002 and eventually followed up, ten starts later, in the Welsh National at Chepstow in December 2003, the next Grand National-winning horse to win again was Pineau De Re. A 5-length winner at Aintree in April 2014, as an 11-year-old, the Dr. Richard Newland-trained gelding popped up again, in a Pertemps Series Qualifier over hurdles at Carlisle in December 2015, before failing to complete the course on three of his last four starts.

In between Bindaree and Pineau De Re, though, a total of 13 Grand National winners failed to win again, collectively accumulating a total of 102 losing starts. Of course, Pineau De Re did manage to win again, as did the ultimately ill-fated Many Clouds, who shouldered 11st 9lb to victory at Aintree in 2015. In fact, the latter recorded three more wins, including what would have been a famous, rather than infamous, defeat of King George VI Chase winner Thistlecrack in the Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham two years later, but for the fact that he tragically collapsed and died afterwards, having suffered a severe pulmonary haemorrhage.

Next up came Rule The World, trained in Co. Tipperary by Michael ‘Mouse’ Morris, who, in 2016, while still a maiden – albeit a high-class maiden – over regulation fences, belied his ‘novice’ status by winning the race often described as the ‘ultimate test for horse and rider’. A largely unconsidered 33/1 chance at Aintree, the 9-year-old survived a blunder at the penultimate open ditch, led inside the final half-a-furlong or so, and stayed on well to win by 6 lengths. In so doing, Rule The World became the first novice to win the Grand National since Mr. What in 1958. He raced just once more, finishing down the field in the Champion Novice Chase at Punchestown, less than three weeks later, before retirement.

The 2017 Grand National winner, One For Arthur, saddled by Lucinda Russell – and, therefore, just the second Scottish-trained winner, after Rubstic in 1979 – was another who failed to add to his winning tally. He did, however, finish a creditable, if somewhat remote, sixth behind Tiger Roll on his return to Aintree in 2019.

Ah, Tiger Roll. The winner of the Triumph Hurdle in 2014 and the National Hunt Chase in 2017, the diminutive Authorized gelding warmed up for his first attempt at the Grand National, in 2018, with yet another Cheltenham Festival win, in the Cross Country Chase. All out to win by a head on that occasion, despite holding a 6-length lead at the famous ‘Elbow’, halfway up the run-in, he nonetheless won the National again, off a 9lb higher mark, in 2019, justifying favouritism in the process. Denied the chance of an unprecedented hat-trick (in consecutive years, that is) by the Covid-19 pandemic, Tiger Roll never attempted the National again, but did add to his Festival tally with a facile, 18-length victory in the Cross Country Chase, again, in 2021.

The 2021 National winner, Minella Times, was another to make history, insofar as his jockey, Rachael Blackmore, became the first female jockey to win the Aintree showpiece. Brought down at Valentine’s Brook on the first circuit in the 2022 renewal, the son of high-class jumps sire Oscar was being prepared for another crack at the National in 2023, but suffered a training setback and was retired forthwith, as a 10-year-old, having never won again.

The two most recent National winners, Noble Yeats in 2022 and Corach Rambler in 2023, remain in training. The former has already won three times since and, at the time of writing, is a single-figure price for the Stayers’ Hurdle at the 2024 Cheltenham Festival, while the latter has had just two, unsuccessful, starts since, and remains co-favourite for the 2024 Grand National.