Marcus Armytage

Nowadays, Old Etonian Marcus Armytage is best known as racing correspondent for The Daily Telegraph but, in his younger days, was a highly accomplished amateur rider. Armytage, 55, rode 100 winners worldwide between 1981 and 2000, but the most famous of them was undoubtedly Mr Frisk in the 1990 Grand National. The unseasonably firm going, made so by a prolonged period of dry weather, was perfect for Mr Frisk and Armytage apparently told his sister, Gee, “If I don’t win this today, I’ll never win it.”

 

The 16/1 chance raced prominently for most of the way and was left in front when the erstwhile leader, Uncle Merlin, fell at Becher’s Brook on the second circuit. He held a 10-length lead jumping the fourth last fence, but Durham Edition made relentless progress throughout the last half mile and by the Elbow, halfway up the famously long run-in at Aintree, had just about reached his quarters. However, despite Durham Edition making ground all the time on the stands’ side, Mr Frisk held on to win by three-quarters of a length. His winning time, of 8 minutes 47.80 seconds, smashed the previous course record, of 9 minutes 1.90 seconds, set by Red Rum in 1973, and remains the fastest winning time in National history, despite the overall distance being shortened in 2013.

Armytage became just one of five amateur riders to win the Grand National since World War II, the others being Captain Bobby Petrie on Lovely Cottage in 1946, Tommy Smith on Jay Trump in 1965, Charlie Fenwick on Ben Nevis in 1980 and Dick Saunders on Grittar in 1982. Nowadays, tighter regulations prevent gung-ho “gentleman riders”, such as the legendary Duke of Albuquerque, from risking life and limb in the Grand National, so amateur jockeys are a rarity compared with the days of yesteryear.

Michael Scudamore

The late Michael Scudamore was, of course, the patriarch of a notable racing dynasty. His son, Peter, was National Hunt Champion Jockey eight times between 1981/82 and 1991/92 and is now assistant to Grand National-winning trainer Lucinda Russell, while his grandsons, Tom and Michael Jnr., also maintain the family tradition, as a jockey and trainer, respectively.

However, after a public vote, Michael Scudamore was inducted into the Grand National Hall of Fame at Aintree Racecourse in 2012 by virtue of having ridden in the race 16 times, consecutively, between 1951 and 1966. He won the National just once, on Oxo, an eight-year-old bay gelding owned by John Big and trained by Willie Stephenson, in 1959.

Scudamore recalled that Tim Brookshaw, the jockey of Wyndburgh, shouted across that he’d broken a stirrup leather at Becher’s Brook on the second circuit. However, Brookshaw kicked his other foot out of the stirrup and rode the remainder of the race – which still involved negotiating eight more fences, including the Canal Turn and Valentine’s Brook – with no irons at all. The bold move almost paid off because Wyndburgh, who’d looked beaten at the final fence, rallied gamely on the long run-in and was eventually only beaten 1½ lengths.

Scudamore and Oxo, meanwhile, nearly came a cropper at the final fence, with the jockey forced to ride at the buckle end of the reins to keep the partnership intact. Scudamore, though, held Oxo together brilliantly well in the closing stages, despite the sound of thundering hooves creeping closer and closer. He later recalled, “I could hear Tim and Wyndburgh behind me all the time. It seemed a long time from the final fence to the finish.”

George Dockeray

Any Grand National buffs worth their salt can probably tell you that the first “official” Grand National – albeit run as the “Grand Liverpool Steeplechase” – in 1839 was won by the aptly-named Lottery. However, they may not be quite as quick to tell you that Lottery was saddled by former Derby winning jockey-turned-trainer George Dockeray. In fact, Dockeray saddled three more Grand National winners in the next 13 years – Jerry (1840), Gaylad (1842) and Miss Mowbray (1852) – which means that he ranks alongside Fred Rimell and Donald “Ginger” McCain, who also recorded four Grand National wins as trainers.

After retiring from race riding, Dockeray took up training, first at Mickelham, near Dorking and later at nearby Epsom where, in 1839, he received Lottery from owner John Elmore. Elmore, based in Harrow, was also a horse dealer and trainer and had previously campaigned Lottery at the Hippodrome, Bayswater and elsewhere in London. In 1837, Lottery is recorded as winning the “Hippodrome 50 Sovereigns Plate”, over 2 miles, on the first day the Hippodrome, Bayswater was opened.

In any event, Lottery started favourite for the inaugural Grand National and, ridden by James “Jem” Mason, won in a hack canter. According to the Daily Telegraph of the day, “…Lottery was in command as they finally entered the straight, and a prodigious leap at the last left him well clear.” George Dockeray died on May 2, 1857, aged 68, but over a century and a half after his death, after a public vote, he was inducted into the Aintree Hall of Fame in 2012.