December 2024

In which year did most horses complete the Grand National course?

admin December 10, 2024

Ironically, the year in which most horses completed the Grand National course was 1984, when a safety limit of 40 runners, which has remained in place ever since, was imposed for the first time. On March 31, 1984, on good going, the well-backed ten-year-old Hallo Dandy, trained by Gordon W. Richards and ridden by Neale Doughty, led home a total of 23 finishers, thereby setting a record which has yet to be beaten. In so doing, Hallo Dandy, who had finished fourth behind Corbiere, Greasepaint and Yer Man in the 1983 renewal of the Grand National, reversed the previous form with that trio, who finished third, second and seventeenth, respectively.

For the record, the horse who finished twenty-third, and last, of the finishers was the nine-year-old Canford Ginger, a 100/1 shot trained by David Elsworth and ridden by Colin Brown. Of the nine casualties on the first circuit, four horses fell at Becher’s Brook and two more at The Chair but, remarkably, 31 of the 40 starters headed out onto the second circuit. That said, the first open ditch put paid to the chances of Fortune Seeker, Kumbi and Pilot Officer, as it had to those of Golden Trix on the first circuit. Thereafter, though, the only faller was Imperial Black at Becher’s Brook and, while Burnt Oak and Silent Valley were pulled up late on, a record number of finishers was assured.

By contrast, the fewest number of finishers in the Grand National came in 1928, when 42 runners went to post but, on bottomless ground, all bar the eventual winner, the unconsidered 100/1 shot Tipperary Tim, failed to complete the course unscathed. The eventual second, Billy Barton, took a tired fall at the final fence, but was remounted – remounting horses after the start was not banned until November, 2009 – to complete the course, tailed off, but only two finished.

What are some facts I didn’t know about Red Rum?

admin December 10, 2024

Most horse racing fans remember Red Rum. A name synonymous with the most famous steeplechase in the world: The Grand National. In fact, its history dates back to 1839. The race is held annually at Aintree Racecourse, Liverpool. This handicap steeplechase covers a distance of 4 miles 2 ½ furlongs. Two laps are run, 30 jumps, many with famous stories behind them including the infamous Chair.

The winning horse pockets over £500,000 in prize money.

Red Rum, trained by Ginger McCain, is the only horse to win this prestigious race three times in 1973, 1974 & 1976.

Being such a famous thoroughbred horse there a few facts we don’t know about this incredible horse. However, here are 5 things you may not know about Red Rum to add to his illustrious story.

1) He Never Fell Once

It’s a feat very few horses can proclaim. Red Rum, running on both the Flat and National Hunt, never fell in a 100-race career.

2) Debut Dead Heat – Over 5f

It seems remarkable that a horse which won over a distance of 4 mile 2 ½ furlong could win on the Flat over the minimum trip. That’s what Red Rum did on his debut, at Aintree, when they had both codes of racing, in a dead heat. Later, Aintree was dedicated to National Hunt racing. Red Rum continued his story with spectacular results, writing his name in the history books.

3) The Ultimate Double Act

You may be thinking I’m talking about Red Rum and his trainer Ginger McCain or jockeys Brian Fletcher or Tommy Stack. His owner Noel Le Mare deserves a mention too. However, we are talking about those early years on the Flat when Red Rum was twice ridden by Lester Piggott. In something that is akin to the Law of Attraction, his stable lad was comedian Lee Mack.

4) The Most Famous Horse in the World

There have been lots of famous horses but there is little doubt Red Rum is one of the best known and become a household name. While preparing for his sixth Grand National, he was retired following a canter at the course the day before, after suffering a hairline fracture while training for the big race. That evening, his retirement was the lead story on BBC 1 and made front-page news the following day. Red Rum became a celebrity in his own right opening supermarkets, selling merchandise, leading the Grand National Parade for many years. He appeared as a guest on BBC Sports Personality of the Year. He even switched on the Blackpool illuminations and had a roller coaster named after him.

5) He Transcended Life

Red Rum transcended life. His racing feats made him a name synonymous with the Grand National. He ran in the National on five occasions, with three wins and two runner-up positions. A life size sculpture of him can be seen at Aintree Racecourse. A true legend of horse racing, his story lives on in all who love the sport of kings.

In fact, Red Rum was buried at the winning post at Aintree Racecourse. He died at the age of 30.

How are steeplechase fences constructed?

admin December 10, 2024

The term ‘steeplechase’ was first recorded in the late eighteenth century and was derived from the fact that participants kept a course, over open countryside and natural obstacles, by sighting a church steeple as a finishing point. Nowadays, the term refers to a horse race run on a turf course furnished with fabricated obstacles – albeit that they are constructed, in part, with natural materials – which horses must negotiate.

Steeplechase fences are the higher, more rigid and less forgiving type of obstacle that horses encounter in National Hunt racing. With the exception of the optional water jump, which need only be a minimum of 3′ high – but is, as the name suggests, followed by an expanse of water at least 9′ wide – steeplechase fences must officially be at least 4’6″ high, measured from the take-off side. By way of comparison, the tallest fence on the Grand National course, The Chair, measures 5’2″ high.

Steeplechase fences are essentially of two types, known as plain fences and open ditches, although the construction of the upright portion of the fence is the same in both cases. Each fence is built on a base measuring between 6′ and 6’6″ deep, from the front of the take-off board – the white-painted board at the foot of the fence, intended to increase its visibility – and consists of a rigid frame, made of steel or wood.

Fence construction must be consistent throughout any one course, but the frame may be filled entirely with birch, natural or plastic, or birch and spruce or other material approved by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA). Either way, the density of the compacted material determines how forgiving the fence is if a horse makes a jumping error. As the name suggests, an open ditch is simply a plain fence with a ditch on the take-off side, thereby creating an obstacle with a significantly wider spread.

Since World War II, how many favourites have won the Grand National?

admin December 10, 2024

The first post-war Grand National was staged at Aintree on April 5, 1946 and, notwithstanding the cancellation of the Grand National Festival in 2020, due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the celebrated steeplechase has been run over more or less the same course and distance ever since. Of course, in 1993 the Grand National was officially declared void after the majority of the jockeys failed to realise a second false start had been called and seven, led by the hapless John White on Esha Ness, completed the course.

However, at the time of writing, in 76 bona fide renewals since World War II, the Grand National has been won by the market leader, or joint market leader, on 11 occasions. The first post-war winning favourite, or joint-favourite, was Freebooter who, in 1950, survived a near-catastrophic blunder at The Chair to win by 15 lengths under 11st 11lb. In 1960, Merryman II was another easy winner but, in 1973, Red Rum was anything but, only reeling in his main market rival, Crisp, in the shadow of the post, having been 30 lengths behind the clear leader at Becher’s Brook on the second circuit. Grittar, ridden by 48-year-old amateur Dick Saunders, in 1982, Rough Quest, in 1996, and Earth Summit, in 1998, completed the sextet of winning favourites before the turn of the century.

More recently, Hedgehunter, a rare final-fence faller in 2004, set the record straight with a ready, 14-length win in 2005, Comply Or Die forged clear from the Elbow to win by 4 lengths in 2008 and Don’t Push It gave A.P. McCoy his first National winner, at the fifteenth attempt, in 2010. In 2019, Tiger Roll was sent off the shortest-priced winning favourite since Poethyln, exactly a century earlier and, in 2023, Corach Rambler became just the third National winner trained in Scotland, after Rubstic in 1979 and One For Arthur in 2017.