- Noble Yeats Harry Cobden
- Nassalam Caoilin Quinn
- Coko Beach TBC
- Capodanno Keith Donoghue
- I Am Maximus Paul Townend
- Minella Indo Rachael Blackmore
- Corach Rambler Derek Fox
- Janidil Jody McGarvey
- Stattler Patrick Mullins
- Mahler Mission Ben Harvey
- Delta Work TBC
- Foxy Jacks TBC
- Galvin TBC
- Farouk D’Alene TBC
- Eldorado Allen Brendan Powell
- Ain’t That A Shame David Maxwell
- Vanillier Sean Flanagan
- Mr Incredible Brian Hayes
- Run Wild Fred TBC
- Latenightpass Gina Andrews
- Minella Crooner TBC
- Adamantly Chosen Sean O’Keeffe
- Mac Tottie James Bowen
- Chemical Energy TBC
- Limerick Lace Mark Walsh
- Meetingofthewaters Danny Mullins
- The Goffer TBC
- Roi Mage James Reveley
- Glengouly Michael O’Sullivan
- Galia Des Liteaux Harry Skelton
- Panda Boy TBC
- Eklat De Dire Darragh O’Keeffe
- Chambard Lucy Turner
- Kitty’s Light Jack Tudor
Ruby Walsh
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.
Which two horses have completed the Grand National course in less than nine minutes?
It is generally accepted that the Grand National was inugurated, as the Grand Liverpool Steeplechase, in 1839 and, in 175 runnings since, just two horses have completed the course in less than nine minutes. The first of them was Mr. Frisk, trained by Kim Bailey and ridden by amateur Marcus Armytage, who, on April 7, 1990, held off a strong late challenge from Durham Edition, trained by Arthur Stephenson and ridden by Chris Grant, in the closing stages to win by three-quarters of a length in a record time of 8 minutes, 47.8 seconds.
The going at Aintree that day was officially described as ‘firm’ but, in 2012, following fatal injuries sustained by two horses, Synchronised and According To Pete, in separate incidents at Becher’s Brook, the racecourse executive and the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) implemented a whole raft of safety modifications. Those changes including routinely watering the course, such that the going is never faster than ‘good to soft’, moving the start 90 yards to the first fence, the introduction of collapsible plastic, rather than solid wood, frames at the heart of the fences and levelling of the landing area at Becher’s Brook.
Notwithstanding the change to the position of the start, which effectively shortened the distance of the Grand National by half a furlong, or thereabouts, the revised water policy has had a significant effect on race times. Since 2013, only the ill-fated Many Clouds, who carried 11st 9lb to victory in 2015, in a time of 8 minutes, 56.8 seconds, has been the only horse to break the nine-minute barrier. Honourable mentions belong to the previous record holder, Red Rum (9 minutes, 1.9 seconds in 1973), Ballabriggs (9 minutes, 1.2 seconds in 2011) and Tiger Roll (9 minutes, 1.0 seconds in 2019), but Mr. Frisk set a record that may never be broken.