1. Grand National For Sale
2. The Grand National Horse Race
3. Horse Winners Grand National Finals
4. Horse Winners Grand National Park

Before 2016, Michael's only previous experience of the National was a hollow one - seven years ago his Irish National winner Hear The Echo collapsed near the Aintree finish and later died. The 2020 Grand National was cancelled due to Covid 19. The first 6 home including Not only the first back-To-back winner since Red Rum In 1974 but the highest-placed mare since 18 years further back than that, plus the title holder before Tiger Roll, winners Of the Becher And Bobbyjo And no less than the Gold Cup runner-up; it wasn't the lung-bursting affair it normally is, with. A horse will be entered into the Grand National if it meets the minimum criteria for qualification and the owner and trainer feel that their horse is capable of handling the race. Not all horses are suited to the long Aintree course or have the necessary jumping ability. Tipperary Tim – 100/1. One of the top underdogs in the history of the Grand National can also claim. Red Rum is undoubtedly the greatest horse in the history of the Grand National and that isn’t just because he is the only horse to win it three times. Red Rum was a horse the public adored and he was trained by Ginger McCain, one of the truly great trainers in National Hunt history, who also saddled Amberleigh House, the 2004 winner.

Known as the world’s greatest steeplechase, the Grand National is popular with both horse racing lovers and those that only watch this one race every year. The incredibly difficult jumps combined with the length of the race makes it a thrilling watch, with horses likely to fall at any moment. The proof of that lies in Foinavon’s win in 1967, running so far behind the rest of the field that he avoided a mass pile-up and won the race.

Had you been one of the horse’s backers that year then you’d have been paid out at odds of 100/1, with punters ever since having a ‘cheeky’ bet on a horse with outside chances simply on the off chance that something as dramatic happens at Aintree Racecourse. Whilst it’s rare for such an incredibly unlikely thing to take place, bettors still enjoy the possibility of an outsider winning and, along with the favourites doing so, it’s happened more than once.

The Longest Odds Winners

Where else to start but with the winners of the race that have had the longest odds? It is, after all, the most exciting aspect of horse racing and the one that non-racing lovers tend to watch the Grand National for. Here we’ll have a look at the five horses with the longest odds to win the race, all 100/1, collating the information into a table and then having a brief look at each event in more detail to see if we can spot any sort of pattern.

100/1 Grand National Winners

The good news for the bookies is that no horse has ever won the Grand National with odds of longer than 100/1. That might change at some point in the future, of course, but it’s unlikely. Something to bear in mind if you tend to opt for the betting tactic of picking one short odds horse, one with middling odds and one outsider. If they are that outside of the expected running that they’re over 100/1 then you might want to look elsewhere.

Whilst we can’t learn much from the ages of the horses that won the race as 100/1 outsiders, given that they differ across the board, perhaps the overall story of their winning race can tell us a little bit more about what we want to know. Are there any similarities in what happened during the race, or was it just a matter of the bookmakers getting their odds wrong in most instances? Certainly the looked to learn their lesson after 100/1 winners in both 1928 and 1929…

1928 – Tipperary Tim

Prior to 1928, there had been a number of outsiders that had won the race. Many of them had strange odds, though, such as Lutteur III, who won 1909 at odds of 100/9. Tipperary Tim was the first horse to give the bookies a genuine spanking, though. The Going was Heavy and mist had descended upon Aintree Racecourse during the day, which understandably led to some difficulties in jumping the fences.

Before the race a friend of Tipperary Tim’s amateur jockey, William Dutton, reportedly told him that he’d only win if all of the other horses failed. Little did the friend realise just how prophetic that shout would be. On the first time around the course, Easter Hero fell at the Canal Turn and a mass pile-up ensued. Only seven horses emerged from that with their jockeys still riding, which eventually dropped further until Tipperary Tim was the only one standing.

1929 – Gregalach

Whilst it makes the list here because of the 100/1 outsider that ended up winning the race, the 1929 renewal of the Grand National also made the record books for boasting the largest ever field to run in the event. Sixty-six horses went under starter’s orders, which has never been beaten. In truth, nothing quite as dramatic as the previous year happened this time around, though a vast majority of the horses did fall at some point during the race.

Indeed, the press was full of criticism after the fact because, they claimed, the nature of the Grand National meant that poor horses would often be entered into it. With nine horses finishing the race, however, there wasn’t the same issue as there’d been in 1928. The press’s argument also fell short on account of the fact that the winner had odds of 100/1, fourth place was 200/1 and so were to of the other horses that managed to make it all the way home.

1947 – Caughoo

Interestingly, fifty-seven horses started the Grand National in 1947, which was the largest field since the record was set in 1929. All of them returned to the stables safely after the race, suggesting that it was another one without any major drama. Eight-year-old Caughoo ended up winning the event, finishing twenty lengths in front of second-placed Lough Conn. The Irish horse was a firm outsider, ridden by Eddie Dempsey and tried by Herbert McDowell.

The other interesting thing about the 1947 renewal of the Grand National was that three of the first four horses home were from Ireland. Lough Conn had odds of 33/1, which was the same odds given to the French horse, Kami, that finished third. Prince Regent was the best-priced of them all with odds of 8/1 but could only come in fourth. Given that they all had similar weights apart from Prince Regent, it looks like this was just a case of the handicapper getting it wrong.

1967 – Foinavon

The victory for Foinavon in 1967 remains one of the most talked about in Grand National history. It’s unusual that a horse would win the race because they weren’t very fast, but that’s exactly what happened here. Foinavon was nowhere near the leaders as they approached the twenty-third fence. Having unseated his rider at the first, many felt that Popham Down should have been pulled up by then but the fact that he wasn’t led to one of the race’s greatest moments.

The loose horse veered at the fence, causing a huge pile-up and unseating countless horses. Foinavon was so far behind the pack that the horse’s jockey was able to steer him through the melee, emerging free from everyone and with a thirty length lead. It shows just how unfancied he was that he ended up winning by half that amount. Even so, a win is a win and John Buckingham’s riding of the 100/1 outsider is to be admired.

Mon Mome – 2009

At the time of writing, Mon Mome is the most recent horses to win the race with such outrageously long odds. The French-bred horse was ridden by the late Liam Treadwell and beat the 2008 winner, Comply Or Die, by twelve lengths. Trained by Venetia Williams, Mon Mome was the first French horse to win the race in one hundred years, which perhaps helps to explain why the bookmakers got their odds so completely wrong for the horse.

In the end, seventeen horses managed to complete the race. My Will had been made the favourite after coming fifth in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, eventually going off joint-favourite and with Ruby Walsh in the saddle. It was Comply Or Die who gave the toughest chase, though, and the he and Mon Mome jumped the last together. Mon Mome had the better legs, however, and won at odds of 100/1. It was another race in which the bookies just seemed to get it wrong.

Other Big Priced Grand National Winners

Were you to back a horse in the Grand National with odds of 66/1 then you’d be absolutely delighted to see it cross the finish line in first place. When it comes to the winners with the longest odds, though, the likes of Auroras Encore, who achieved exactly that in 2013, doesn’t even come close to the 100/1 mark but a very impressive return nonetheless. Likewise Ayala in 1963 and Russian Hero in 1949, who both won with the same odds, as well as 50/1 Last Suspect in 1985.

Incidentally, the first 33/1 winner came in 2001 when Red Marauder won for Norman Mason and Richard Guest with a further three winners at those odds in quick succession in 2007, 2012 and 2016.

33/1 to 66/1 Grand National Winners

The Shortest Odds Winners

Looking at the races involving horses that won with long odds, it’s fair to say that there’s not a lot that we can learn from them. The horses were different ages, carried different weights and what happened in the race differed from year to year. Unless you believe in the coincidence of two of the races take place in the seventh year of the decade or you feel like you’ll be able to predict a mass pile-up causing half of the horses to fall, it’s unlikely you’ll predict an outsider winning.

Of course, the bookmakers actively prefer it when a horse with long odds win a race. It might seem counter-intuitive, but horses with odds as long as 100/1 will only have a limited number of people betting on them and even then they’ll almost certainly be wagering small stakes. The same is not true for the favourites, which will have large amounts people betting both big and small stakes on them and therefore causing the bookies much more pain with victory.

Here’s a look at the five horses with the shortest odds that came out on top at Aintree Racecourse over the years:

Grand National Winners Under 4/1

The first thing that you’ll notice is that all of the horses in the above table, with the exception of Poethlyn, won the race during the nineteenth century. That isn’t overly helpful to modern day bettors, who will surely want more of a clue about what to look out for when placing bets in the twenty-first century. For that reason, we’ll show you another table here of horses that have won with short odds from 2000 onwards.

Shortest Priced Grand National Winners – 2000 to 2019

Tiger Roll is obviously the odd one out on the list, not only because he won it in consecutive years, becoming the first horse since Red Rum to do so, but also because he is the only horse to win with short odds that did so as an eight-year-old. The rest of the horses were nine when they won, which gives you some insight into what to look out for when you’re coming to place your bets. If you want to wager on a horse with short odds, make sure that they’re nine or older.

It’s fair to say that most of the shortest odds winners have a far less interesting story to tell then when it comes to the outsiders who romped home surprisingly. Even so, there’s always a tale to tell for the Grand National and these races are no exception. Here’s a look at each of them:

Tiger Roll – 2019

When Tiger Roll returned to Aintree Racecourse in 2019 he did so as the defending champion of the Grand National. It’s little surprise that he started the race as the favourite, with many believing that he had what it takes to finally join Red Rum as a horse that had won consecutive races on the Liverpool course. One hundred and twelve horses were originally entered before being whittled down to forty, with Tiger Roll coming from the back to win under Davy Russell.

Hedgehunter – 2005

Nine-year-old Hedgehunter was the 7/1 favourite for the race, not least of all because he was being ridden by Ruby Walsh and under the traineeship of Willie Mullins. The race itself was notable thanks to a twenty-five minute delay, which was put in place in order to avoid it clashing with the wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles. More than half of the horses finished the race, with Hedgehunter finishing fourteen lengths clear of Royal Auclair in second.

Comply Or Die – 2008

Comply Or Die went off as the joint favourite in the race, joined at odds of 7/1 by Cloudy Lane. He repeated the trick of Hedgehunter in being a favourite that won the race; something that wouldn’t happen again at Aintree until Tiger Roll in 2019. When Comply Or Die crossed the finish line he did so just four lengths clear of King John’s Castle, making it a truly thrilling final few moments of the World’s Greatest Steeplechase.

Papillon – 2000

Papillon won the one hundred and fifty-third renewal of the Grand National in the millennial year. He did so with a time of nine minutes and nine point seven seconds, doing so with even more excitement than Comply Or Die would manage eight years later on account of only being one and a half lengths clear of Mely Moss. It was a win for Ruby Walsh, who took the 10/1 horse over the finish line in typical style.

Tiger Roll – 2018

Tiger Roll might well have gone off as the favourite when he returned to Aintree the year after winning it, but when Davy Russell rode him across the finish line in 2018 he did so as a 10/1 runner. It was arguably the most exciting race of all of those run by the shortest priced winners, given that Tiger Roll only won courtesy of a photo finish with Pleasant Company. It was another race at Aintree in which all runners returned home safely.

2020

The 2020 Grand National was cancelled due to Covid 19.

2019

The first 6 home including Not only the first back-To-back winner since Red Rum In 1974 but the highest-placed mare since 18 years further back than that, plus the title holder before Tiger Roll, winners Of the Becher And Bobbyjo And no less than the Gold Cup runner-up; it wasn't the lung-bursting affair it normally is, with nothing haring off and so many still going by the time the field had to squeeze around the dolled-off fence that had been the first, double figures still there with some hope as they turned in before stamina and sheer ability did finally begin to tell, a wide route as well as hold-up rides not paying dividends.

2018

There were plenty Of thrills And spills, whilst Aintree's infamous long run-in conjured up a late twist with the rarity of a photo-finish, as a Gordon Elliott horse just edged out one trained by his great rival Willie Mullins in a finish dominated by Irish yards; the pace was a decent one given the conditions, with both jumping and stamina fully tested, so it's perhaps a surprise that 5 of the first 6 home were tackling this unique course for the first time; as usual, nothing got into from the back.

2017

As ever, the Grand National threw up a few hard-luck stories - notably that Of second favourite Definitely Red - but this still appeals As solid form, With victory going To the least exposed horse In the line-up And the frame completed by 3 well-handicapped runners; the pace wasn't an end-to-end one, with the field bunching around halfway after a brief dip in tempo, and it reflects very well on One For Arthur that he could come from so far back - still not in first 20 jumping the second Canal Turn - when one considers that every other runner who raced in the final third of the field never landed a blow; meanwhile, the modified fences again caused relatively few problems, with the average number of finishers in 4 renewals since their introduction now standing at 18, though it's worth noting that the first 3 home all had previous experience over the National course.

2016

An emblematic Grand National, confirmation If any were needed Of the effectiveness Of the much-discussed recent modifications To start position, size Of fences And overall distance, stamina And jumping still tested Like In no other race In the calendar yet With an uplifting subplot Of all 39 participants living To fight another day; the later off time resulted In the track taking more rain than it would have done In a more customary afternoon slot, more pulling up than falling/unseating As conditions took a toll, With 5 Of the first 6 home Irish-trained, As 3 Of the first 4 had been the last time the race was run On ground this testing In 2006; the early pace steadied On the final circuit, And around half the finishers still had a chance entering the straight, the first 3, all from contrasting backgrounds but no less relishing the examination, going clear between the last 2.

2015

A good-quality renewal Of the Grand National, With a healthy share Of highly-rated horses And well-handicapped runners who'd done well since the weights were announced, so it was fitting that the winner posted the highest Timeform rating since the era of triple winner Red Rum in the 1970s - indeed, Many Clouds looks better placed than most during the past 41 years to emulate that Aintree legend as a back-to-back winner, particularly as he was 5 lb well-in here and is likely to receive similar leniency from the BHA handicapper next year due to his dubious policy of compressing the top of the National weights nowadays; it was a well-run affair, with the field quite well strung out before halfway, and the majority of jumping casualties occurred on the first circuit, though the most significant fall came 5 out, where The Druids Nephew departed when seemingly going best at the head of affairs.

2014

Arguably Not the strongest renewal Of the Grand National, With most towards the head Of the weights failing To complete, whilst there was a higher percentage Of non-stayers than usual; that said, Each Of the first 3 came into the race at the top Of their game following successful campaigns, whilst the pace was a sound one And resulted In a slightly quicker time than In 2013 under similar conditions; As For the often-derided New modified fences, there were enough spills here - plus In Friday's Topham - to suggest they still represent a significantly different test to a conventional track, though it could be argued that the winner and third survived blunders on the first circuit that neither would have got away with in the past; no amount of modifications can seem to prevent a shambolic false start, though, which resulted in a rumpus afterwards involving 39 of the jockeys - minus Battle Group's pilot Brendan Powell - refusing to hear the stewards' verdict on the matter.

2013

A surprise winner will no doubt be used As evidence that the Grand National deserves its tag As a 'lottery' by once-a-year punters but, In truth, this result makes plenty Of sense, With Each Of the first 5 home amongst the best-handicapped runners In the field - albeit, both Auroras Encore And Oscar Time had been out Of form On recent starts; the modified fences claimed fewer fallers than usual but still provided a stern test Of jumping which plenty failed To adapt To, whilst stamina was fully tested too thanks To a sound pace On watered ground - indeed, the time was some 5 seconds slower than the 2012 renewal (On good ground) despite a half-furlong shorter trip this time around; despite the sound gallop, it didn't pay to try and come from too far back, as is so often the case around here when the going isn't bottomless.

2012

As thrilling And significant a Grand National As one would expect, providing a terrific spectacle In pure racing terms, Neptune Collonges getting up On the line To prevail by a nose In the tightest ever finish To a National, And his bare performance To defy a mark Of 157 was the best by a winner Of the race In Timeform history (likes Of Suny Bay And Crisp ran To higher figures In defeat); there was plenty Of competition For the lead, Swing Bill, Giles Cross, Planet Of Sound And Shakalakaboomboom all In front at different points On the first circuit, making For a well-run affair And a gruelling test (13 Of the field had departed by the first Canal Turn, the eighth), And For the third year running the time was fast; it's rare for this race to pass without controversy, however, and 2012's National will unfortunately be remembered for some of the wrong reasons as well, most notably 2 fatalities that included last month's Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Synchronised; he'd unshipped his rider and run loose going to post, raising questions as to whether he should even have lined up (the vet did pass him fit), whilst the bypassing of the fence before Becher's on the second circuit again rather exposed the injury-element to the wider public it was actually directly due an injured jockey in this instance; modifications made to the fourth fence which had caused problems last year appeared to have worked, with no casualties there, though due to subsequent events the success of the recent alterations to Becher's will doubtless be questioned; the start of the race also came under scrutiny, the field called back after the first attempt and taking some organising again, the race eventually starting almost 10 minutes after the scheduled off time; the starting routine isn't the same as it was for the void National in 1993, but a fuller review of the procedure surely is in order now, with a measure as simple as ensuring the field line up at a fixed point further behind the tape likely to reduce significantly the risk of false starts.

2011

A memorable renewal Of the Grand National, For both the right And wrong reasons; from a racing viewpoint, the form Is well up To the standard Of recent renewals, With last year's winner Don't Push It running to a similar level in finishing third this time around, whilst the combination of a sound pace and drying ground resulted in the third fastest time in this race's long history, behind course-record holder Mr Frisk (1990) and Rough Quest (1996); there was an unwanted piece of history too as fences (the twentieth and second Becher's) were omitted on the second circuit for the first ever time due to fatal falls suffered by Ornais and Dooney's Gate early on, those run-off areas having only been added in 2009 following concerns raised by problems moving the seriously-injured Mick Fitzgerald 12 months earlier in fairness to Aintree, those run-offs worked well in both instances here, though their usage did rather highlight the 2 fatalities to the wider public, which prompted some unwanted coverage in the Sunday papers; from a safety angle, the fourth fence probably does need looking at as no less than 12 horses (including Ornais) departed there in just 3 races at this year's meeting.

2010

A memorable renewal Of the Grand National, With record-breaking champion jockey A. P. McCoy Finally ending his drought In this great race, an achievement that rather mirrored Sir Gordon Richards' much-celebrated win on Pinza in the 1953 Derby towards the end of his riding career; the race itself was a terrific spectacle, too, with pacesetters Conna Castle and Black Apalachi ensuring it was run at a much stronger gallop than for the last 2 renewals (fastest time since 1996); as is often the case with well-run races over these fences, it paid to race handily and previous course experience proved an asset, too, as jumping ability was tested to the full Don't Push It may have been tackling these fences for the first time, but 9 of the 13 other finishers had all completed the course at least once previously.

2009

A shock result, With Mon Mome equalling the biggest SP To win this great race And becoming the first 100/1 winner since Foinavon's success in that freak 1967 renewal Mon Mome didn't need the aid of a mid-race pile-up for his victory and, despite his unflattering odds, actually had a very good chance at the weights on the pick of his form earlier in the season; that said, whilst his performance can be easily explained away, the proximity of several other outsiders notably Cerium and Arteea is much harder to fathom and there must be a chance that this will prove muddling form due to a fairly stop-start gallop, with the runners eventually setting off from a standing start after 2 aborted attempts when the runners had been cantering to the tape (both false starts should probably be blamed on the jockeys rather than the starter); indeed, the pace rather resembled that of a cross-country chase in the second half of the race, particularly after pacesetters Black Apalachi and Silver Birch had departed at second Becher's there were no less than 16 runners still tightly grouped in contention on the home turn, which is an extremely rare sight in the National.

2008

A good renewal Of the Grand National, With Comply Or Die putting up one Of the better winning performances Of this decade In terms Of form, whilst Irish trainers maintained their excellent recent record In the race by saddling the Next 3 home; good ground And a slightly less hectic pace than Is often the Case (things certainly seemed To steady around halfway) contributed To an above-average number Of finishers And it also arguably reduced the effect Of previous course experience, With most Of the well-handicapped runners coming To the fore; that said, jockeys who regularly Do well over these fences largely did so again, notably Messrs Murphy, Carberry And Geraghty.

2007

The move In 2002 by the BHB To compress the weights For the Grand National has had a really positive effect On both the quality And competitiveness Of it, this year's race attracting 4 horses that have reached the frame in a Gold Cup, whilst all 40 runners were in the handicap proper for the third successive year; despite the leniency afforded to the top weights, the first 5 all carried 10-8 or less; the recent Irish stranglehold continued, with Silver Birch their sixth winner in 9 years, and he was also the fourth in 10 runnings to have already won a major National, in his case the Welsh version; the emphasis wasn't so much on stamina as is sometimes the case with the ground good, and 8 still held a chance crossing the Melling Road for the final time.

2006

Measures To attract better-quality runners For the Grand National have certainly altered the complexion Of the field In recent years, With all 40 runners here comfortably In the handicap proper indeed there were no less than 8 Grade 1 winners In the line-up, whilst the 2 most recent National heroes Amberleigh House And Hedgehunter were joined by winners Of the Welsh, Scottish And Irish versions, plus the last 2 winners Of the Betfred Gold Cup; Not all Of those are the force they were, but it was still a memorable race, With a searching early gallop (which resulted In 5 first-fence casualties) placing the emphasis far more back On stamina, And jumping, than In several recent contests over these fences (including 2005 National); the result was yet another triumph For the Irish, who had 3 Of the first 4 home, Numbersixvalverde notching up a fifth Grand National win In 8 years For his country a trend which Is all the more significant When one considers there were no Irish-trained winners between 1975 And 1999.

2005

A maximum field Of 40 For the most valuable race Of the NH season, With 3 previous winners In the line-up As well As the second And third from 2004 (In all 16 had previous experience Of the fences); although Grey Abbey, First Gold And Sir Rembrandt were late absentees, there were still 2 Of the first 4 In the Gold Cup In the line-up And all 40 are Or were capable Of at least useful form, so In theory this was a good-quality Grand National, yet beforehand plenty Of the runners were either In questionable form, far from certain To stay Or doubtful jumpers, And whether it was quite the vintage race it might seem Is open To doubt indeed, the problem might be the level Of prize money coupled With the BHB handicapper's desire to treat leniently the better horses is encouraging connections of frankly unsuitable horses to aim them here in the hope of getting round and sneaking a prominent finishing position or better if things fall their way; unusually all 40 runners were off their allotted mark, not one carrying less than 10-5; in contrast to the 2004 renewal, which was run at an overly strong pace, the tempo was much steadier, which resulted in three-quarters of the field still standing after a circuit and more than half completing, barely 4 lengths covering no fewer than 11 in contention crossing the Melling Road, after 3 out; it would be unwise to go overboard about the form (the likelihood is only one or 2 behind the third have run to within 10 lb of their best) and though Hedgehunter won easily, it's worth remembering with next year in mind that so did Lord Gyllene and Monty's Pass; Hedgehunter continued Ireland's recent good record in the race, being the fourth Irish-trained winner in the last 7 years.

2004

Not by any means a vintage Grand National, with very few runners Of Gold Cup Class despite the massive prize money And lenient handicapping (Harbour Pilot And First Gold were possible runners who failed To take the Option); it wasn't overly competitive either, with several leading contenders dropping out shortly before the race (notably Timbera and Rince Ri) and 5 getting a run from out of the handicap after a full line-up in the weights had seemed likely; there weren't many who looked notably well handicapped or progressive and those that did, by and large, failed to get round; a pile-up largely caused by a loose horse claimed nearly a quarter of the field at first Becher's which further reduced the competitive nature of the race; the so-called Aintree factor has generally been a negative one in recent years, with handicap marks suffering for good efforts in previous years, but of the 11 that completed here no fewer than 8 had either figured prominently in this race previously or completed in other races over the fences; the pace was a strong one and the survivors were well strung out by halfway, with the second, third and Hedgehunter clear by second Becher's; only the winner was able to close the gap, whilst of those that failed to get round, probably only Le Coudray's performance can be viewed that favourably with regard to next year's race.

2003

A race billed As the most competitive And high-quality National Of all time (the latter a ridiculous claim) turned out To be a strangely-muted affair, With only 4 In With any chance from after the second Canal Turn; though a sleight Of hand by the BHB handicapper (artificially lowering the marks Of the top weights) meant all but 4 were In the handicap And the ever-increasing value Of the race allows the connections Of only the very best Not To consider running (it's hard to imagine Best Mate even being entered however much prize money is on offer) those that had contested the Gold Cup or had missed the race to run here all failed to fire, some badly so, and even though the course was unusually toothless on the first circuit, with 31 going out into the country a second time and only 6 falling or unseating, the sustained watering meant that in a truly-run race not many were travelling even at that stage; while there has to be sympathy with the course due to the unusually dry spring, there's little doubt the watering had an adverse effect in some cases, particularly in well-run races which became too much of a slog a long way from home (the Sefton and the bumper were other notable examples); as those remaining tired, there were more departures on the second circuit, but of those that went only Ad Hoc and Killusty were travelling well enough to think they might have got into the shake-up and both were still some way off the pace when they went.

2002

A really competitive And good-quality Grand National On paper, With the top weights Not far Short Of Gold Cup standard And the fortieth horse only 2 lb out Of the handicap; this was In part facilitated by the rather dubious move On the part Of the BHB handicapper To compress the weights, effectively favouring the better horses In order To encourage them To run; Florida Pearl was still an entry until the 48-hour stage While notable absentees included the sidelined Welsh National winner Supreme Glory, the recent Cheltenham winner Frenchman's Creek (aiming at what was the Whitbread) and the out-of-sorts 2000 winner Papillon as well as a few who were prominent in the ante-post market but failed to make the cut, Gunner Welburn, Moor Lane and Amberleigh House among them; while a case could be made for all 3 it's hard to see what system would be fairer than the present one of allowing the 40 highest-rated entries run though more stringent vetting at the entry stage would be desirable; relatively fast conditions looked likely to give the doubtful stayers more chance than they usually have but the race didn't turn out quite as competitive as might have been expected with the number of casualties a fair bit higher than anticipated under the conditions; not for the first time in recent years, the first proved the hardest fence to negotiate, a quarter of the field (including Smarty) effectively out of the contest there; the other crucial fence was 4 out where 4 departed, including Davids Lad and Ad Hoc who were both still going well at the time; the leaders probably went a bit faster than ideal on the first circuit but overall the pace was sound.

2001

Just When National Hunt racing needed an epic Grand National To restore an appearance Of normality To the season, instead Of Ben Hur it got Carry On Cleo, though without the laughs; For this was, arguably, Not only a farce a third Of the field had their race ended by interference from loose horses but a potential Public relations disaster narrowly avoided; that no horses Or riders were seriously injured was a matter Of good fortune, though it shouldn't be forgotten that there is always this risk in the National; despite the understandable pressure not to postpone, there have to be doubts as to whether the race should have taken place on ground that was even more testing than when Earth Summit won in 1998 and Miinnehoma in 1994, and it was probably for the good that only 2 were effectively in the race in the last 1¼m as they were able to go much steadier than they might otherwise have done there were no tired horses, flat out to keep up, struggling with the fences by that stage; 4 finishers was the fewest since 1980, though the race this most resembled was the 1928 renewal when only Tipperary Tim completed without mishap after a similar pile-up at the Canal Turn as occured here; even beforehand this looked very far from a vintage National with in-form chasers with the required stamina or jumping skills very thin on the ground; as a form guide this is of very little use, the most interesting performances coming from Beau and Blowing Wind; the riders heeded instructions to go steadily and there wasn't the usual charge to the first.

2000

An unusual Grand National With the top weight running off a mark Of 155 which meant that no fewer than 33 Of the 40 runners were racing off their correct handicap marks; this gave the race a more open look than Is often the Case And made For a terrific spectacle With plenty Of the field getting into contention at various stages; despite quite a large number Of fallers there were no major injuries reported And the only real hard-luck story among those To complete was that Of Bobbyjo who was badly hampered at second Becher's; of the fallers Buck Rogers was the most likely to have played a part in the finish judged on how he was going when he fell at the Canal Turn; 5 went at the first, all pulling hard and most racing prominently, and the pace possibly as a consequence was a sound rather than a strong one.

1999

In terms Of quality this On paper was a good Grand National, with the 1998 winner Earth Summit And runner-up Suny Bay joined by the winners that year Of the Irish, Welsh And Scottish Nationals And the Whitbread As well As previous winners Of the Hennessy And Irish National; the 1999 Gold Cup form was represented by the fourth And fifth Double Thriller And Addington Boy; there were notable absentees who would have been prominent In the betting had they Not been injured (principally Cyfor Malta And Teeton Mill) Or Not entered (Young Kenny) but even though the weights were headed by one Of the highest-rated chasers In training there were still 14 horses In the handicap; 7 Of them failed To Get round (half the non-finishers) And another 5 clearly failed To give their running but the other pair who finished third And fourth must have run somewhere near their best And the form looks pretty straightforward To interpret; the high number Of finishers showed once again that On good going at least the race isn't too demanding a test of jumping; of the 11 falls or unseats (including one remount) 7 came at Becher's, 5 second time round, and another was hampered; the pace was sound though as in previous races over the course this week it wasn't the overstrong pace that it sometimes is early on.

1998

The most gruelling race For the Grand National In living memory, the time more than 32 seconds above the slowest previous one For the race since the war, Quare Times' in '55; on the two other occasions in the last twenty years when heavy ground has prevailed (it was soft in Little Polveir's year in our view rather than the official heavy) there have been very few finishers, four out of thirty in Ben Nevis' year and six out of thirty-six in Miinnehoma's, and only six got round this time, one of those remounted to do so; there were three fatalities, all before Becher's first time, so it's hard to blame the conditions for that regrettably high figure; in terms of quality the race was also perceived as somewhat lacking though there were this season's Hennessy and Welsh National winners as well as the runners-up in the King George and Irish Hennessy and the '96 National winner Rough Quest; as usual the better runners came to the fore, the only two in the handicap (of which there were just seven) to get round finishing a distance clear of anything else; all those to complete deserve praise and creditable mentions should also go to Greenhil Tare Away and Ciel de Brion, who were prominent for so long and still in contention when departing in the closing stages, and Brave Highlander, who was going as well as any when unseating at the second Canal Turn.

1997

Grand National For Sale

A Grand National which will be Long remembered For the disruption caused by a bomb warning which led To the race being run two days late; it looked a race Short On quality compared To some recent runnings, the top conditions race form represented only by Go Ballistic, the Gold Cup fourth, And by the seemingly waning force Of Master Oats, who was conceding 15 lb Or more all around And whose presence meant that all but eight Of the remaining thirty-six runners (only three Of which had contested the race last year) were out Of the handicap; the race seldom disappoints, however, And an Aintree horse Of rare talent emerged In the shape Of Lord Gyllene, who dominated the race In a way which can seldom have been matched; As usual, those unable To hold a good position from the off struggled To make an impression And those In Or close To the handicap dominated (only a couple more than 1 lb out Of the weights, Northern Hide And Valiant Warrior, were a factor from halfway, although Camelot Knight stayed On from well back For third); the standard Of jumping was mixed, though some poor jumpers got round, only one going over the first six fences And only three On the final circuit though sadly there were two fatalities, Straight Talk And Smith's Band; the pace was as ever a good one.

The Grand National Horse Race

Horse Winners Grand National Finals

1996

Horse Winners Grand National Park

A smaller field than usual And a shortage Of good-quality runners (only nine raced off their proper mark) made this seem one Of the weakest Grand Nationals Of recent seasons; however, unlike last year, the better horses In general gave their running And With the fences seemingly claiming fewer victims than ever (the main problems On the course these days Is going too fast at the first) it was probably a stronger race than it first looked; As ever the pace seemed sound, And, With the ground good, the thorough stayers got outpaced somewhere between the Canal Turn And the Melling Road.