Which horse holds the course record for the Grand National?

The course record for the Grand National was set in 1990 and, even allowing for the fact that the Grand National distance was shortened slightly in 2013, when the start position was moved forward, as a safety measure, is unlikely to ever be broken. Starting with the 2013 renewal of the Grand National, Jockey Club Racecourses, which owns Aintree Racecourse, announced that the course would be routinely watered, to provide going that was never again faster than ‘good to soft’.

Since then, the fastest winning time in the National was the 8 minutes 56.8 seconds recorded, on good to soft going, by the 2015 winner Many Clouds. That was, in fact, just the second sub-nine-minute winning time in the history of the world famous steeplechase, but still nowhere near the course record set by Mr. Frisk 25 years previously. Ridden by Marcus Armytage – coincidentally the last amateur jockey to win the National – Mr. Frisk had the advantage of running in the last-ever renewal contested on ‘firm’ going and came home in a time of 8 minutes 47.8 seconds. Barring drastic changes, his name is written, indelibly, into the record books.

Which were the top three staying hurdlers in 2020/21?

According to Timeform, the top three – or, in fact, the top four – staying hurdlers in 2020/21 were all trained in Ireland. They were, in order of preference, Flooring Porter (164), Sire Du Berlais (161) and, jointly, Beacon Edge (160) and Klassical Dream (160).

Trained by Gavin Cromwell, Flooring Porter began the 2020/21 season in handicap company but, after a 5lb rise in the weights for being beaten at Gowran Park on his reappearance in early October, made remarkable improvement. On his next start, at Navan in early December, he earned himself another 14lb rise after easily winning a better handicap by 12 lengths from the Bosses Oscar. Stepped up to Grade 1 company for the first time in the Leopardstown Christmas Hurdle just over three weeks later, he once again made all the running to beat the Storyteller by 6 lengths. He did not run again until the Cheltenham Festival, where he was only seventh choice of the 15 runners in the Stayers’ Hurdle, at 12/1, but travelled and jumped well to win, unchallenged, by 3¾ lengths from Sire Du Berlais.

Winner of the Pertemps Network Final at the 2020 Cheltenham Festival, Sire Du Berlais narrowly won the Lismullen Hurdle at Navan on his reappearance in November. Thereafter, he was restricted to just two runs, at Leopardstown and Cheltenham and proved no match for Flooring Porter on either occasion.

Beacon Edge recorded two routine wins in lesser races at the start of the 2020/21 and, in fact, was only beaten three-quarters of a length by subsequent Champion Hurdle winner Honeysuckle in the

Hatton’s Grace Hurdle at Fairyhouse in November. He also won his preparatory race for the Cheltenham Festival, the Boyne Hurdle at Navan in February, but could finish only fourth, beaten 5½ lengths, in the Stayers’ Hurdle. On his final start of the season, he lined up alongside Flooring Porter and the 2019 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle winner Klassical Dream, who was making his first start for 16 months, in the Champion Stayers’ Hurdle at Punchestown in April. Flooring Porter ran inexplicably badly, being pulled up before the final flight and Beacon Edge fell at the second last, leaving Klassical Dream to readily land the spoils.

 

 

Which were top three novice chasers in 2020/21?

According to Timeform, the novice chasing division was dominated by three horses who already fall into the ‘top class’ category, but are likely to make more than ordinary improvement. Collectively, Shiskin (171p), Energumene (169p) and Monkfish (167p) won 14 of their 15 races over fences in 2020/21 and, while Monkfish misses the 2021/22 season because of a tendon injury, all three remain outstanding chasing prospects.

Winner of the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at the 2020 Cheltenham Festival, Shishkin made a seamless transition to the larger obstacles, winning all five starts with the minimum of fuss. He produced his best performance, so far, when easily accounting for Eldorado Allen, by 12 lengths, in the Arkle Challenge Trophy at Cheltenham in March, but followed up with a second Grade 1 win, in the Mildmay Novices’ Chase at Aintree in April. Unsurprisingly, he is currently top-priced at 7/4 to complete a Cheltenham Festival hat-trick, in the 2021 Queen Mother Champion Chase.

Trained, like Monkfish, by Willie Mullins, Energumene missed an intended engagement in the Arkle Challenge Trophy after a last-minute setback, but cantered to a 16-length victory over stable companion Janidil in the Ryanair Novice Chase at Punchestown on his return to action in late April. That was his second, bloodless Grade 1 victory over fences, having beaten another stable companion, Franco De Port, by 10 lengths, eased down, in the Irish Arkle Novice Chase at Leopardstown in February, and took his career to 4-4 over the larger obstacles.

Owned by Susannah Ricci, Monkfish was the force majeure in the staying division, winning his first four starts between 2 miles 5 furlongs and 3 miles ½ furlong, including the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival. His best performance of the season came in the Flogas Novice Chase at Leopardstown in February, when he easily beat the ill-fated Latest Exhibition by 11 lengths. He did, of course, lose his unbeaten record over fences when comfortably beaten by stablemate Colreevy – who had won the Liberthine Mares’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival – in the Champion Novice Chase at Punchestown on his final start. In his defence, he ‘probably didn’t run his true race’, according to his trainer, and definitely made a disastrous jumping error at a crucial stage.

Which horse was Sean Bowen’s first ride in the Grand National?

Sean Bowen is the son of Pembrokeshire trainer Peter Bowen and the elder brother of James Bowen, who, in 2017/18, became the youngest champion conditional jockey in history. In 2014, Bowen won the Wilkinson Sword Edge Novice Riders’ Point-To-Point Championship, thereby attracting the attention of Paul Nicholls. He subsequently joined the multiple champion trainer as a conditional jockey and made an immediate impact. In his first full season, 2014/15, he rode 51 winners, despite being sidelined for six weeks with a shoulder injury, and won the conditional jockeys’ title by a margin of seven winners from his nearest rival, Nico de Boinville. Indeed, he had the distinction of being the youngest champion conditional in history until usurped by his younger brother three seasons.

As far as the Grand National is concerned, Sean Bowen first lined up in the celebrated steeplechase on April 11, 2015, bidding to become the youngest winning jockey since Bruce Hobbs, who was aged 17 years and three months when he won on Battleship in 1938. His mount on that occasion was the 9-year-old Mon Parrain, trained by Paul Nicholls, on whom he had previously won a handicap chase, in first-time blinkers, at Cheltenham on New Year’s Day. Sent off at 33/1 in the National, Mon Parrain raced in mid-division for most of the way, but was never really a factor and, while he completed the course, eventually trailed in eleventh of 19 finishers, a respectful 56 lengths behind the winner, Many Clouds.

 

 

 

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