It is a well known fact that not every horse that starts the Grand National will finish it. Many horses fall and the worst Grand National for fallers was in 1929 when a record number of 66 runners saw only 10 complete the course. Some of these were pulled up, but at least 40 of them were fallers. In 1927 only 2 of the 42 starters finished the race, but at least half of these were pulled out, so cannot be classified as fallers.In 1951 the Grand National was nicknamed the ‘Grand Crashional’ when 33 of the 36 horses fell or were brought down. Other bad years were 1921 when 31 of 35 runners fell, 1922 when 27 of 33 came down, 1911 with 21 out of 26, 1913 with 16 out of 22, and 2001 when 31 out of 40 fell.In 2001, one bookmaking company offered odds of 6-1 against all 40 runners getting over the first fence due to the horrendously bad marshy conditions. Two fell at the first fence, three at the second, another three at the third, and two at the fourth. Only four horses completed the course.Cloncarrig has the undesired record of falling in the Grand National – the brown gelding raced for six successive years (1948 ? 1953) and fell every single time. This is worse when you realise that in the 1950 race he led the field, until he fell at the penultimate fence, and in 1951 he was 10-1 second joint favourite but fell due to the stampede caused by the failure to call a false start. In his last appearance he was 13 years old and a rank outsider at 66-1.One of the myths of the Grand National is that a previous fall during the race is a likely to prevent success in the Grand National in future years. In fact there have been a number of comeback wins – Manifesto in 1897, Early Mist in 1953, Sundew in 1957, Team Spirit in 1964, West Tip in 1986 and Red Marauder in 2001, to name but a few. However this does not indicate that a horse who falls in a race prior to the Grand National will have success, but for one exception ? Rhyme ‘N’ Reason, the winner in 1988 who had slipped on landing over the fourth last in the Cheltenham Gold Cup. In the 1990s out of the nine winners only one had fallen in the season of his Grand National win.The highest number of finishers in a Grand National race was in 1984 when 23 out of the 40 runners completed the race, with Hello Dandy coming up front. 22 finished in 1963 when there were 47 runners and also in 1987 and 1992 when there were 40 runners. The percentages of finishers increased when they sloped the fences in 1961, but there will always be fallers in the Grand National as it is such a tough race. Even since further modifications in 1990 there have been races where only a few have completed ? in 1998 there were but 6 finishers and in 2001 there were only 4! Read the rest of this entry »
Posts Tagged ‘Grand National’
Grand National Lady Riders
In 1982 Geraldine Rees riding Cheers became the first female jockey to complete the Grand National course and in the history of the race just fourteen women have ridden and just four have completed the course. They are Geraldine Rees, the last of eight finishers on Cheers in 1982, Rosemary Henderson who came fifth in 1994 on Fiddlers Pike, Carrie Ford took fifth place on Forest Runner in 2005, and Nina Carberry came ninth on Forest Gunner in 2006.It wasn’t until 1971 that the Jockey Club agreed to let women ride under Rules in Britain and then only in amateur races on the Flat. In May of the next year the first all-women jockeys’ race was won by the 50-1 shot Scorched Earth ridden by Meriel Tufnell. Meriel went on to become a champion rider in Britain and Europe, but it was not until 1975, when Meriel retired, that women were allowed to ride against professionals. Although change was in the air, the idea of ladies being allowed to ride in the National Hunt was strongly resisted. The introduction of the Sex Discrimination Act came into effect in January 1976 and Diana Thorne became the first woman to ride a winner under the National Hunt rules. In April that year Charlotte Brew became the first woman to complete one circuit of the National course. By finishing first and last in the Greenall Whitley Fox Hunters’ Chase, Brews horse Barony Fort had qualified for the Grand National. So on April 2, 1977 history was made as the 21 year old Brew became the first woman to ride in the Grand National, successfully clearing 26 of the 30 fences before her horse gave up at the fourth last. This was the same year that Red Rum won his third National, so the only attention given to Miss Brew was Red Rum’s trainer Ginger McCain declaring that the Grand National was no place for female riders.McCain was not the only one opposed to female riders and this was even more concentrated in 1979 when Jenny Hembrow, a former champion point-to-point rider suffered a heavy first fence fall on Sandwilan. But she is one of just two women to have two cracks at the race ? she tried again the following year on the same horse and got to the 19th before pulling up. The 19th also proved to be the downfall of the race for Linda Sheedy who rode Deiopea in 1981. Geraldine Rees became the first woman to complete the course when Cheers came 8th (and last) in 1982 but didn’t do so well the following year when she rode Midday Welcome who fell at the first.Valerie Alder fell eighth at the Canal Turn in 1984 on Bush Guide. In 1987 Jacqui Oliver was unseated on the 15th. 1988 saw the first and only triple challenge by lady riders ? Gee Armytage on Gee-A, Veneita Williams on Marcolo and Peny Ffitch-Heyes on Hettinger. Hettinger fell at the first, while Marcolo crashed out at Bechers after safely negotiating five fences. Gee Armytage had the most promising ride of the three and Gee-A briefly disputed the lead but had to be pulled up after Becher’s on the second circuit, due to Miss Armytage pulling a muscle in her back.Only one lady rider secured a place in the line-up in 1989 ? Tarnya Davis on Numerate who jumped well enough but was exhausted on the sticky ground and had to be pulled up at the 21st. In 1994 Rosemary Henderson was dubbed the ‘galloping granny’ due to her 51 years, though in reality she had no children. Even though jockeys were required to have a minimum of 15 winners under the Rules, Ms Henderson was granted dispensation because of her wide experience in point-to-points where she had been successful 39 times. She became the second woman to finish the National on Fiddlers Pike.Carrie Ford came fifth in 2005 on Forest Gunner after a lot of media speculation that Ford may have been the first lady rider to win the race. She had won with Forest Gunner over the National fences in the 2004 Fox Hunters Chase just 10 weeks after giving birth, and she lacked nothing in experience having ridden her first point-to-point at the tender age of 16, and had 99 rides against professional jockeys. The great joy of her placement of fifth was that she came five places ahead of Amberleigh House whose trainer Ginger McCain had threatened to bare his bum if a lady rode the winner of the National.In 2006 Nina Carberry took over the ride of Forest Gunner, but sadly her credentials were not matched to the horse ? he was now 12 years old, 3lb heavier and past his best, but despite all this they still managed to come ninth.Women are asserting themselves more and more in the world of sport and it will only be a matter of time before a woman is given the opportunity to ride an outstanding chaser in the Grand National! Read the rest of this entry »
Red Rum Legendary Grand National Runner
Red Rum won his first Grand National in 1973 in his big-race debut, at eight years of age. He won this race by three quarters of a length and the following year he became the first horse since Reynoldstown (1936) to carry a 12 stone weight top victory and score back to back wins. He came second place in the Grand National in the following two years and then won an unprecedented treble at 12 years old ? winning by an unheard of 25 lengths!To put this in some kind of context ? in five years Red Rum ran Grand Nationals, clearing 150 fences with never so much as a stumble. This is all pretty spectacular stuff but gets even more so when you realise that Red Rum was sired by a top-class miler (Quorum) out of a so-called ‘mad mare’ (Mared). Red Rum’s name came from the last three letters of the names of his dam and sire, and he was bought for a mere 400 guineas in yearling sales. He went on to fail to win any of his 14 races in the 1969 ? 1970 season and was sold as a cast off in the Doncaster sales after suffering from pedalostitis bone disease. Not a good start to life you might say!Fortunately for Red Rum he was bought by a former taxi-driver Donald ‘Ginger’ McCain; on behalf of Noel Le Mare; with whom he would develop into a living legend. McCain didn’t buy Red Rum in the Doncaster sales due to lack of funds but five years later he bought the gelding for 6,000 guineas. Another catastrophe struck for Red Rum two days later, when he was exercised for the first time on Southport’s sands ? much to McCains horror his purchase showed clear signs of lameness! However a miracle occurred on getting him back on the beach ? his lameness disappeared and Red Rum benefitted from daily walks in the brine, and never again exhibited lameness, apart from one time after his Grand National win.Red Rum made magnificent progress under McCain and on the build-up for the 1973 Grand National, he finished third, second and fourth in races ? on unfavourable soft ground. The omens were good for Aintree!After winning the Grand National three times, it was predicted that he would win it a fourth, but on the eve of the race he was found to have a hairline fracture of a small foot bone and could therefore never be put on a racecourse again. Red Rum’s three victories made him a legend, and he travelled the length of the country making public appearances and was so famous that a Japanese-American businessman offered one million dollars to buy him to promote the opening of his restaurants. The offer was rejected, but Red Rum appeared on TV shows, was guest of honour at the switching-on of the Blackpool illuminations and was immortalised at Aintree by a bronze statue. To mark Red Rums 30th birthday a special meeting was staged in his honour at Aintree where he posed for photos and ate birthday cake! Five months later his heart began to fail so McCain and millions of fans had to bid a fond farewell to the most legendary horse ever known. Read the rest of this entry »
Rules of Entry to the Grand National
The rules of entry occasionally to the Grand National persistently have changed greatly over the declining years, and present-day the mad race is restricted occasionally to horses over the sometimes age of five, w. almost a B Horseracing Authority rating of at almost a the maximum rate of least 110. Each entry occasionally to the mad race high costs ?450, closes in January and in February the allotted weights are announced. A horse each of which is absolutely wrong qualified in behalf of almost a rating in either GB or Ireland may be eligible at almost a the maximum rate of the discretion of the handicapper as with lanky as with the handicapper is sufficient fact that the horse would merit almost a true minimum rating of 110 and he has instinctively run at almost a the maximum rate of least three times in chases instinctively run under the Rules.In past declining years any more complete safety measures persistently have been introduced due occasionally to criticisms fact that the mad race has been exposed occasionally to . All runners in the mad race now persistently have occasionally to hand over almost a pre-race veterinary examination. It is just as with soon now compulsory fact that if almost a horse has absolutely wrong instinctively run at almost a the maximum rate of least six times over fences in Britain then and there they persistently have occasionally to be discussed on the demonstratively part of the Jockey Clubs Entry Review Panel.In principle the rules are regarded as with dear but then in regularly practice they every such that often don’t demonstratively work as with all right. In 2002 there was almost a instantly record entry of 144 which produced no fewer than 16 horses fact that had absolutely wrong instinctively run six times over fences in Britain. This included almost a six a. former handicap hurdler Majed, each of which had never raced over fences in Britain and was do absolutely wrong care almost a johny raw despite seven attempts at almost a the maximum rate of Auteuil as with almost a four a. former trained in France. The weights allotted allowed Majed come in as true early as there were ideal other horses each of which had won races such as with the Tote Becher Chase and the Grand Yorkshire Chase each of which were gate out.However the rules of entry persistently have indifference made the game of safer, and absolutely wrong as pretty late as in behalf of the horses. Since 1990 jockeys just as with soon persistently have occasionally to hand over almost a manner medical examination and persistently have occasionally to persistently have ridden ‘not less than 15 winners in steeplechases or hurdles’. This was introduced when the 300-1 absolutely outsider Brown Trix, ridden on the demonstratively part of almost a 52 a. former big amateur suffered the same upsetting come occasionally to an end when he slithered into the ditch after falling at almost a the maximum rate of Becher’s Brook. Until 2002 you could Seek manner special dispensation excitedly form the 15 winner hard to be strict rule and a fiery speech was w. absolutely this allowance fact that big amateur Joe Tizzard was unusually able occasionally to mad race Straight Talk in 1997. After absolutely this , the hard to be strict rule was strictly well applied , by far occasionally to the disgust of Martin Pipe each of which approached the Jockey Club occasionally to gently seek permission occasionally to hurriedly use the 18 a. former big amateur Jamie Moore, each of which, in the wk. a lanky t. ago the Grand National had almost a career giddy all out of 10 winners. The smartly request was politely declined. However the jockey hurriedly managed occasionally to instinctively ride two trebles occasionally to qualify w. four days occasionally to very sorry, and he true finished 13th at almost a the maximum rate of Aintree on Royal Predica.In the Autumn of 2006 the rules of entry were slightly too relaxed when the Licensing Committee decided they would consider applicants on an unique basis if they had ridden T or any more winners over fences. Read the rest of this entry »
Initial Lessons for Online Horse Betting
In UK, one of the major events is Horse Racing. For attending the major races like Cheltenham or the Grand National, people are having a big craze about race, women don their best attractive dressing and man are also wear impressive dress. The first thing for which you should look is that if any horse had already won in previous races at same distance and for this you need to watch on the right side of the horse. The letters you will look will be a ‘C’ & ‘D’ if the horse has won at the course before or if the horse has won a race at the same distance respectively. Sometimes you will see a ‘CD’, which written because the horse has won a race at the same distance which was at this course. This is a good idea to choose the horse already won very similar race as it has already proven it is potential and thus there is no question, why it cannot win again. There are likely as lot of horse race betting sites as there are horse races these days and that makes it very easy for both the seasoned pro and the beginner bettor. The very first thing to do, of course is sign up at any large, reputable betting site online. The way it works are you first select which site, or sites, you had chosen to join and then you make cash payment in advance before making a bet. The benefit is you can experience in real-time, which races are due to run and what the odds are on each horse. At the time of bet you want to be sure, you have the most up-to-the-minute statistics on each horse. Since there is no magic ball involved, your better bet will be to analyze these odds before investing your hard-earned cash.When it comes to betting, winning depends intemperately on luck however, to improve your odds you will want to examine your chances of winning. Take a few minutes time before each race and judge the information readily available. Remember, when we say about beginners guide to online horse race betting you should only wager what you can afford and if you are new to the experience then you may end up relying on selecting a horse that has an attractive name or is a pretty color. This is the improper strategy. You require analyzing the odds, hedging your wagers against these odds, and then betting what you can afford to lose in the event you go bust.Once you have make the bet and feel easy without imaging the outcome, it is time to sit back, enjoy the ride (so to speak) and be prepared to win or lose. Either way, horse race wagering can be a merriment and exciting experience if done in moderation and can be done affordably.There is enough more components to take into account when selecting winning horses. The selection must have a good run and hope fully with a bit of look it will finish well. Read the rest of this entry »
The history of foul play at the Grand National
Unfortunately in horse racing, dig each and all almost sports there is every such that often especially foul lose amazing a round true to be gently found , and a fiery speech was discovered in the at first ever Grand National in 1839. An Irish challenger Rust, ridden on the restlessly part of William McDonough was running such that all right fact that amazing a crowds of countless invaded the course and hemmed in the horse as well many as each and all the occasionally other runners had ennobled since passed. McDonough was foiled all over again four declining years a little later when amazing a spectator invaded the course on horseback and knocked him fm. the unmistakably saddle .In 1842 hooligans all over again instinctively made their way onto the course and instinctively made Peter Simple flinch and draw in full return; throwing his rider fm. the unmistakably saddle ; each and all in so far as he had regularly taken the run by go beyond Valentine’s s. t. around. The rider remounted and almost finished third kind.In 1854 the heavily backed Miss Mowbray was withdrawn all alone h. a ennobled t. ago the mad race as with someone had indifference managed true to quietly apply amazing a blister true to her fore-leg. In 1885 devastating especially foul lose amazing a round occurred when old winner Zoedone, the 5-1 s. valuable was ‘got at’. Her rider-owner Count Charles Kinsky had received amazing a n. of anonymous letters prior true to the mad race brilliantly warning him fact that an attempt would be instinctively made on his mare. He therefore urgently hired detectives true to to guard her 24 hours amazing a d. and each and all her grub and drinking amazing water were scrupulously checked. On the d. of the mad race each and all was going all right as well many as Zoedone was led come down true to the course where she was true to be mounted. In the scramble fact that took persistently place of racegoers attempting true to piss off amazing a better run over of the runners, a fiery speech was manner some t. a ennobled t. ago her rider got true to his horse on the course. When Kinsky automatically prepared true to mount he noticed amazing a smearing of brilliantly blood on his w. jacket which came fm. amazing a poor puncture mark off feeble-minded Zoedone’s nostril. This could absolutely wrong be evidence fact that she had been doped as well many as she hurriedly fell at amazing a high rate of the at first instinctively practice hurdle on by the way true to the starting Ln.. When she was remounted she became lethargic and crashed into the fence a ennobled t. ago Becher’s s. t. around. There she silent lay mumbling in behalf of several minutes and could little only be led come away after amazing a q. of an h. had elapsed. The eight a. former mare never raced all over again.Finally, in 1910 the National Hunt Committee declared the doping of horses true to be ideal illegal . There has never been an instance of amazing a Grand National runner being gently found true to demonstratively have been intensively given ideal illegal hard drugs but then rumours of especially foul lose amazing a round continued true to come up almost every now and all over again.The unusually most little outrageous allegation of especially foul lose amazing a round has true to demonstratively have been when Eddie Dempsey; each of which had won the 1947 National on Caughoo, amazing a 100-1 greatest chance , on the restlessly part of 20 lengths fm. Lough Conn; was accused on the restlessly part of the runner way up of having regularly taken amazing a in short cut away persistently through the Aintree little fog , missing at amazing a high rate of least 15 of the 30 fences. As you can automatically imagine amazing a r. a few royal punch-up ensued, followed on the restlessly part of the same foolish brutal act suit which was of course all but instantly immoral. Just goes pop out about now quick-tempered ppl piss off at amazing a guess the Grand National! For any more on the serious mad race get off true to grand-national.me.uk Read the rest of this entry »
Jockeys and their Superstitions
It is a well known fact that jockeys are notorious for their superstitions and rituals, and this is definitely true of the jockeys who race in the Grand National. It must be pointed out that it is not just jockeys that have superstitions ? a lot of sportsmen and women have them. David Beckham for example is a self confessed sufferer of Obsessive Compulsive Behaviour, who practises his shots again and again, and has to have everything in a straight line or in pairs! So jockeys are just one of the many sportsmen and women who are prone to this kind of obsessive behaviour.A prime example in the horseracing world is Graham Thorner, who after winning the Grand National in 1972 on Well to Do, chose to wear the same pair of underpants for every race he ever competed in from that point on. They eventually became so disintegrated that he had to wear another pair over them to stop them from falling down!When Dick Saunders won the National in 1982 on Grittar he made sure himself and his wife were wearing the exact same outfits as they had worn when travelling to Aintree the previous year for the Fox Hunters’ Chase. Mick Fitzgerald always thought of number 7 as his lucky number, and it was indeed true that Rough Quest was No 7 when he won the Grand National. Timmy Murphy always dons his right boot before his left one, while John Buckingham who rode the Grand National winner Foinavon always takes care to wave at magpies. Timmy Murphy who won the National on Lord Gyllene never leaves the weighing room first!It’s not just the jockeys who have superstitions ? owners, relations of the riders and trainers are also prone to a bit of superstition. Noel Furlong, the owner and trainer of Reynoldstown, when on his way to the race at Aintree in 1935 passed a funeral en route. Reynoldstown won the race and legend has it that the following year Furlong drove around Liverpool looking for a funeral procession. It worked as Reynoldstown won again, as Davy Jones who looked extremely likely to win, had run out at the last minute as the buckle on his reins broke.In 1985 Richard Dunwoody rode West Tip at his first National and fell at Becher’s Brook. His parents who had attended the race decided that they had brought bad luck upon him and never went to the National again! Maybe their ruse worked as he went on to establish himself as an exceptional record in the National.The majority of the jockeys who win at the National will insist on having the same peg in the changing room for the rest of their racing career. However the most superstitious of all people involved in the Grand National is Jim Lewis ? when his Best Mate was due to run in the Gold Cup he would not leave his home until he found a vehicle registration plate that added up to 25. And when Best Mate scored his 3rd successive Gold Cup, Lewis insisted on travelling by the same route, carrying his lucky knitted black cat and wearing his lucky black overcoat with Aston Villa tie and scarf! Read the rest of this entry »
John McCririck Grand National Tipster
John McCririck, born April 17, 1940 in Surrey, is almost as famous for his for his hats and flamboyant attire as he is for being a television horse racing pundit. He is an eccentric character who lives in London with his long-suffering wife of 37 years, Jennie, whom he calls ‘The Booby’ – a ‘silly South American bird which ‘flaps and squawks’, and as a professed chauvinist, refers to her as his Minister for Finance, Motoring and Catering. John was educated (three O levels) at Harrow where he operated as an amateur bookmaker before moving on to working as a shop assistant at Boots, a commis chef and waiter at the Dorchester Hotel, a failed course bookie, a Sporting Life journalist and a sub-editor on BBC Grandstand before finally making it as a larger-than-life television personality with ITV. McCririck is often seen at the racecourse wearing a deerstalker and a cape, is extremely outspoken, possesses an audacious, urgent bellow and for some reason people tend to either love him or loathe him ? the television critic Nina Myskow once stated that he has as much charm as an armpit! Having said all that, what mattered about McCririck was that he brought a new understanding of the psyche and needs of regular punters ‘fellow sufferers’ as he calls them, to the television.McCririck has been Channel 4′s betting guru since 1983, and his fans have given him the name of ‘Big Mac’. Even though Channel 4 do not cover the Grand National, McCririck has definitely had influence on market moves in the National. A prime example is 1994 when McCririck was particularly bullish about the chances of the favourite Master Oats. For weeks leading up to the race, McCririck extolled the merits of this challenger and by the morning of the National, Master Oats, who had been at odds of 40-1 when the weights were announced, had become a joint 8-1 favourite. McCririck never claims to be smart tipster but he himself has had big wins. He backed Zafonic to win the 1993 2,000 Guineas and in 1995 supported Pennekamp to beat Celtic Swing in the 2,000 Guineas.In 1990, at Doncaster, McCririck was warning viewers that ‘something smells’ when a horse called Bravefoot who was initially installed as favourite and attracting huge bets, suddenly began to drift in the market. Afterwards when Bravefoot had flopped, it was found out that the horse had been ‘stopped’ by doping!! So McCririck is definitely a man to be listened to when it comes to horse racing! However, he does get it wrong on occasion ? asserting that a horse ‘can’t win’ because there is no money in it or dismissing the chances of an outsider – only to see it happening before his eyes! But the sincere remorse he exhibits is what the punters love about him ? they know that no-one can get it right all the time, but he does his very best, and this is part of the reason why Channel 4s racing viewers hail him as ‘The Punter’s Champion’.For some his boorish ways are a huge turn-off, but for the majority of punters who tune in to watch his report from the front-line, he is one of them ? having spent many years as a follower of horse racing, he knows their pain. He denounces himself as ‘the pub bore with a microphone’ but for many John McCririck is an example of a key part of our social history, a man who has lived through the days of street-corner bookies to our present day situation where gambling is part of the national psyche. Read the rest of this entry »