Jockeys

Richard Pitman, 75, has been involved with the Grand National, in one form or another for over five decades. He is, of course, the erstwhile husband of Jenny Pitman, who became the first woman to train a Grand National winner in 1983. However, Richard had his first ride in the Grand National aboard the 13-year-old Dorimont in 1967. Dorimont had won the National Hunt Chase at the Cheltenham Festival three years earlier, but was a 100/1 outsider on the day. Replacing the injured William Shand Kydd, the 24-year-old Pitman, by his own admission, “forgot” about the open ditch guarding the third fence and his mount took a crashing fall, long before the mêlée at the twenty-third fence presented Foinavon with the race.

 

In 1973, Pitman was involved in one of the most famous, and heartbreaking, finishes in Grand National history when Crisp, ridden by Pitman, was caught in the dying strides by Red Rum, ridden by Brian Fletcher, having been 20 lengths ahead jumping Becher’s Brook on the second circuit. “The Black Kangaroo”, as Crisp was affectionately known, was attempting to concede 23lb to Red Rum and, while he may not have won the National, his bold, attacking style won the hearts of the racing public.

 

Pitman made his first television appearance for the BBC at the Grand National in 1976 and remained part of the team thereafter. He was involved in the coverage of the so-called “National that never was” – in which Esha Ness, trained by Jenny Pitman, was first past the post – in 1993 and the bomb scare, which led to the evacuation of Aintree and the only Monday National, in 1997. In 2018, Pitman featured on a panel of experts on an ITV Grand National Special, which included “The Grand National Race of Champions”; in the virtual race, Crisp finished fourth, behind L’Escargot, Red Rum and Hedgehunter.

Rupert “Ruby” Walsh, the eldest son of Kildare trainer Ted Walsh, is recognised as one of the finest National Hunt jockeys of his generation. He has ridden over 2,500 winners and is one of a few jockeys who’ve won the Champion Hurdle, the Queen Mother Champion Chase, the Stayers’ Hurdle and the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

In addition, despite the injuries that are an occupational hazard of working with horses in any discipline, never mind jumping fences on a half-ton racehorse travelling at 40 miles an hour, Walsh Jnr. has an enviable record in the Grand National. In 13 attempts, so far, he has failed to complete the National Course just three times and, apart from Leighton Aspell, is the only current jockey to have won the National twice.

In fact, he won the National on his first attempt, as a 20-year-old, aboard Papillon, trained by his father, Ted, in 2000. The following year, the same horse refused at the nineteenth fence after being hampered by a loose horse but, in the days before remounting was banned, Walsh climbed back aboard and hacked home to finish a distant fourth. In 2002, he completed the course again, when a not-quite-so-distant fourth on Kingsmark, trained by Martin Todhunter. He didn’t have to wait long for his second National winner, though, because his was back in the winners’ enclosure again in 2005, having ridden Hedgehunter, trained by Willie Mullins, to a 14-length win over Royal Auclair.

Walsh has yet to win the National again, but finished second on Hedgehunter in 2006 and third on My Will, trained by Paul Nicholls, in 2009. His most recent ride in the great race, Pleasant Company, in 2017, could only stay on at one pace from the second last to finish ninth, beaten 28¾ lengths, behind the winner, One For Arthur. However, in 2018, with Walsh sidelined with a broken leg, suffered on the second day of the Cheltenham Festival, the same horse finished second, beaten just a head, for jockey David Mullins and trainer Willie Mullins.

Many of the best National Hunt jockeys of the modern era, including Jonjo O’Neill, John Francome, Peter Scudamore and even Richard Johnson – who’s ridden more winners than anyone else in the history of the sport, apart from Sir Anthony Peter “A.P.” McCoy – have failed to win the Grand National. Not so Leighton Aspell who, unlike those illustrious names, will never be champion jockey, but has won the National not just once, but twice.

 

Aspell first rode in the National, at the age of 27, in 2003 and later admitted that he was “thrilled to bits” to finish second on 40/1 outsider Supreme Glory, 12 lengths behind the winner, Monty’s Pass. He came a cropper at Becher’s Brook, the Chair and Valentine’s Brook in 2004, 2005 and 2006, respectively and, when he pulled up Billyvoddan, who was tailed off at the time, approaching the first open ditch on the second circuit in 2007, his chance of winning the National appeared to be gone forever.

 

Three months later, no longer enjoying racing or going racing, Aspell retired from race riding. However, after working as pupil assistant to Arundel trainer John Dunlop, he began to miss race riding and announced his comeback as a jockey in April, 2009. He didn’t ride in the Grand National until 2011 when, although he completed the course, was beaten the proverbial “country mile” on 66/1 outsider In Compliance, who finished thirteenth of the 19 finishers.

 

However, undeterred, Aspell was back at Aintree three years later, aboard 25/1 chance Pineau De Re, an 11-year-old trained by Dr. Richard Newland. A small, but classy, individual, Pineau De Re made a few jumping errors, but ultimately pulled clear on the run-in to beat Balthazar King by 5 lengths. Aspell said afterwards, “It’s a wonderful day. This is what we do it for.”

 

Lo and behold, Aspell won the Grand National again in 2015, aboard another 25/1 chance, Many Clouds, an 8-year-old trained by Oliver Sherwood. In so doing, he became the first jockey since Brian Fletcher, in 1974 – and just the third since World War II – to win back-to-back Nationals.