Craziest Grand National Moments Over the Years
The reason so many people love the thrill of horse racing betting is its unpredictability. Horse races such as the Grand National have thrown in some crazy and memorable events – and every year we can prepare to expect the unexpected. Whether it’s one horse that simply can’t stop winning – or a jockey that comes out of nowhere to create a shock winner. The beauty of horse racing lies in the fact that anything can happen… and it often does.
Here are some of our craziest and most memorable Grand National moments from history.
1: Red Rum’s Win in 1977
Many see Red Rum as the greatest ever horse in the history of the race. He secured this moniker after winning the race for the third time in 1977, putting his name firmly in the history books.
2: AP McCoy Finally Winning in 2010
AP McCoy was always the bridesmaid and never the bride having had near misses with the race on fourteen separate occasions. However, in 2010 he finally did it when he rode Don’t Push It to victory.
3: Aldaniti Winning in 1981 with Bob Champion
It was a beautiful moment indeed when Aldantit was steered to Grand National glory by cancer survivor Bob Champion. Aldiniti had been thrown out on the scrap heap previously – yet he rode to a 10/1 victory. This was such a historical story that it was later turned into a hit movie – Champions.
4: Aintree Streakers in 2011
In 2011, two flamboyant friends, Louise Van-Marle, 21 and Gemma Porter 29, took their place in the race’s history when they averted the race stewards, got onto the race track and stripped off – baring all to everyone who was watching. This was a memorable start to the opening day of the Festival.
5: The Race that Never Was in 1993
This was possibly the most chaotic and craziest of them all when 30 of the 39 racers didn’t realise a false start had been called – and set off on the race. This was then declared a void race.
6: Racing on a Monday – 1997
The reason many people remember when Lord Gyllene won the Grand National wasn’t simply because he seemed as though he could do it all over again, but also because it was the first time it had been run on a Monday. There was a bomb scare on the Saturday, which resulted in utter chaos – and the course was evacuated. The race was then run 2 days later – and Tony Dobbin took Lord Gyllene to a 25-length victory.
7: Just Four Horses Finish in 2001
In 2001, the conditions in Aintree weren’t conducive to great racing. But even so, the number of fallers – 20 in total, was unprecedented. Many came to fall at the first jump of the Canal Turn after a loose horse came between the fence and the second pack of runners, causing many to slow. The race was eventually won by Red Marauder.
8: Corbiere, The First Woman Trained Horse, Wins in 1983
In 1983, history was made when Jenny Pitman became the first woman to train the Grand National winner – with Corbiere galloping home at 13/1. He then came third in the race for the following two years. In 1995, Pitman went on to train another winner – this time Royal Athlete. The next time this would happen wouldn’t be until 2009 with Venetial Williams and Mon Mome winning as the 100/1 outsiders.
9: Party Politics Wins in 1992
The name of the horse certainly stole headlines after Party Politics won the race in the same week as the general election, which saw John Major taking first place in the election race.
10: Foinavon – The Only Horse to Clear Jump 23 in 1967
The race didn’t start well for Jockey John Buckingham as he was trailing at the back with his 100/1 shot, Fionavon in 1967. However, there was a pile-up at the 23rd fence that wreaked havoc – with none of the other horses managing to clear it. However, Foinavon was so far behind, that by the time he got there he could find his way over and take the lead. Although 17 jackets remounted and gave chase, none could catch this fairy-tale winner. That same fence has now been renamed Foinavon in his honour.