Category: Grand National

It would be reasonable to assume that the smallest field ever assembled for the Grand National, just ten in 1883, also resulted in the smallest number of finishers. However, on that occasion, the actual result was quite the contrary; Jolly Sir John refused at the fourth fence and Cortolvin fell at the second fence on the second circuit, but the other eight runners all completed the course.

The smallest number of finishers in the Grand National actually occurred in 1928, when 100/1 outsider Tipperary Tim beat the only other finisher, Billy Barton, who was remounted after falling at the final fence, by a distance. Ironically, race featured what was, at the time, the largest field ever assembled for the Grand National.

However, a mêlée at the Canal Turn on the first circuit caused, in part, by Easter Hero, who landed on top of the fence and slipped back into the ditch and, in part, by Eagle’s Tail, who refused, put paid to 18 of the 42 starters and further drama was to follow. Heading out into the country for the second time, only six horses remained in contention; that number was reduced to three by the departures of De Combat at Becher’s Brook and Maguelonne and May King at the fourth-last fence. Of the remaining trio, Great Span was travelling best when unseating rider at the second-last and when Billy Barton fell at the last Tipperay Tim was temporarily left alone.

Following three runnings of the Grand Liverpool Steeplechase, the first ‘official’ running on the Grand National National took place at Aintree on February 26, 1839. In the best part of two centuries, or 182 years, to be exact, since, the Grand National has been cancelled outright just six times. Even during World War I, when Aintree Racecourse was requisitioned by the War Office, a substitute race was staged at Gatwick Racecourse in 1916, 1917 and 1918.

During World War II, Aintree Racecourse was, once again, occupied by the military, leading to the outright cancellation of the Grand National in 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944 and 1945. However, the Grand National returned to Aintree in 1946, shortly after the departure of American troops and, thereafter, enjoyed an uninterrupted spell until 2019. Of course, the 2020 renewal was cancelled outright due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Aside from outright cancellations, the Grand National has been declared void once, in 1993, when a fiasco at the start led to many of the jockeys setting off around the course, despite a false start being called. It has also been postponed once, in 1997, but only by 48 hours, after a coded terrorist bomb threat led to the complete evacuation of Aintree Racecourse on Grand National Day.

The Grand National was broadcast by British Pathé News and BBC Radio from the early part of the twentieth century onwards, but not live on BBC Television until March 26, 1960, and not in colour until March 29, 1969. On the first historic occasion, the BBC employed 16 cameras, including the so-called ‘Roving Eye’, a vehicle with a television camera and a telescopic mast mounted on the roof, which allowed pictures and sound to be broadcast, unimpeded, as it pursued the runners around the National Course.

Commentary came from Sir Peter O’Sullevan, Clive Graham and Peter Bromley, who later recalled how unsafe he felt in the huge, swaying tower built in the middle of the course for the occasion. The race was broadcast live, in black-and-white, of course, as part of the ‘Grandstand’ sports programme. A total of 26 runners faced the starter and victory went to the 13/2 favourite, Merryman II, trained by Neville Crump and ridden by 22-year-old Gerry Scott, who had broken his collarbone a fortnight earlier. Eight horses completed the course, with Merryman II coming home 15 lengths clear of his nearest pursuer, Badenloch, with Clear Profit a further 12 lengths behind in third place.

Nowadays, the Grand National has a safety limit of 40, so the days of huge fields are long gone. However, in the 1947 Grand National, won by 100/1 outsider Caughoo, 57 horses faced the starter and even that wasn’t the largest field ever assembled. In 1929, which was, ironically, the year after the open ditch at the Canal Turn was filled in for safety purposes, the National attracted 66 runners and was won by another 100/1 outsider, Gregalach.

At the other end of the scale, the smallest field ever assembled for the Grand National was just ten, in 1883. At a time when the National Course still included an expanse of ploughed field, some owners of top-class staying chasers baulked at the idea of running in the Grand National on the grounds that it involved too little jumping and, unbelievably, that the obstacles, at that stage, were too small. The 1883 Grand National was acknowledged by the contemporary press as a poor renewal, lacking strength in depth, but that didn’t stop Zoedone, owned and ridden by Count Karel Kinsky, being ‘hunted’ around to win, unchallenged, by 10 lengths. Apart from a slight mistake at the second last, Zoedone barely put a foot wrong and came home in a pedestrian 11 minutes 39.0 seconds.