One For Arthur
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Owned by Belinda McClung and Deborah Thomson – collectively known, for racing purposes, as ‘Two Golf Widows’ – and trained by Lucinda Russell in Arlay, Perth and Kinross, in eastern Scotland, One For Arthur had the distinction of being just the second horse trained north of the border, after Rubstic in 1979, to win the Grand National. Fresh from victory in the Classic Chase, over three miles and five furlongs, at Warwick in January 2017, the eight-year-old was sent off at 14/1 in the National but, in the words of his trainer, “breezed through to win a fantastic race.”
Ridden by Derek Fox, One For Arthur travelled and jumped well throughout and, despite jumping left over the last two fences, stayed on strongly in the closing stages to beat Glenfarclas Chase winner Cause Of Causes by 4½ lengths. Sadly, following that dominant performance, he suffered a tendon injury that kept him off the course for a year and eight months and he was never quite the same horse again. On his return to action, he unseated rider on his first two starts of the 2018/19 season, prior to finishing sixth, beaten 25½ lengths, behind Tiger Roll in the 2019 Grand National.
Having failed to trouble the judge in three starts in 2019/20 – and having been found to have a fibrillating heart when pulled up in the Grand National Trial at Haydock Park – One For Arthur was finally retired from racing in November 2020 at the age of 11. A winning pointer as a four-year-old, he won seven of his 27 races under Rules for Lucinda Russell, including four of his 18 steeplechases, and amassed nearly £675,000 in prize money. He died from colic in March 2023 at the age of 14. Paying tribute to her former charge, Russell said, “He was the springboard for our yard. He was a phenomenal athlete and it was fantastic to be involved with a horse who had such talent.”
It can be argued that the bookmakers took a chance with his starting price but, in 2009, Mon Mome became the latest in a select quintet of horses to win the Grand National at odds of 100/1. Granted that he had been sent off favourite for the Welsh National at Chepstow the previous December, his victory was not perhaps as unlikely, or dramatic, as those of Tipperary Tim (1928), Gregalach (1929), Caughoo (1947) and Foinavon (1967), but his 12-length defeat of defending champion Comply Or Die nevertheless caused a massive shock.
Owned by J.P. McManus and trained by Henry de Bromhead in Knockeen, Co. Waterford, Minella Times was retired from racing in February 2023, having won four of his 24 races under National Hunt Rules and just shy of £500,000 in prize money. However, he will always be best remembered for his historic victory in the 2021 Grand National, which was worth £375,000 to the winner but, more importantly, made Rachael Blackmore the first female jockey in history to win the internationally renowned steeplechase.
Two fences on the Grand National Course bear the names of previous runners in the celebrated steeplechase. Valentine’s Brook, originally known simply as the Second Brook, was renamed after Valentine, who reputedly performed a feat of equine gymnastics to clear the fence before finishing third in the 1840 Grand National. Foinavon, on the other hand, has been so-called since 1984 and commemorates Foinavon, trained by John Kempton, who, in 1967, became arguably the most unlikely Grand National winner of all time. Indeed, at the time of writing, he remains one of just five horses in the history of the National to win at odds of 100/1.
As the late, great Donald ‘Ginger’ McCain told BBC Sport in the aftermath of the 2010 Grand National, “You always get a fairytale at Aintree and you couldn’t have written anything better.” On April 10, 2010, the ‘fairytale’ revolved the connections of the winner, Don’t Push It, namely J.P. McManus, in whose familiar green-and-gold silks he raced, trainer Jonjo O’Neill and jockey Tony McCoy, all of whom were achieving their first victories in the world famous steeplechase.