Did a stone wall used to be an obstacle in the Grand National?

Although still known, at the time, as the Grand Liverpool Steeplechase, the first ‘official’ running of the race that would become the Grand National is generally accepted to have taken place at Aintree Racecourse in Merseyside, North West England on February 26, 1839. In the earliest, pioneering days of the race, runners really did go ‘out into the country’, where they encountered an assortment of natural obstacles, including banks, ditches and watercourses. On their return to the ‘racecourse proper’, they did, indeed, face a 16′ wide stone wall, which is immortalised in a painting by contemporary British artist Charles Hunt.

The stone wall fell in, and out, of favour over the next few years before it was finally replaced, permanently, by the Water Jump – which remains the final fence on the first circuit and is jumped only once during the Grand National – in 1847. In 1840, Lottery, who had won the inaugural Grand National the previous year, took a terrible fall at the stone wall, bringing down the favourite, The Nun, and two other horses. The stone wall was replaced, temporarily, by an artificial brook, in 1841, but was reintroduced in 1843, at the behest of Irish participants. It was replaced by an artificial brush hurdle in 1844, before being reinstated in 1845 and being replaced, once again, by the same obstacle in 1846.

A Quick Guide to the Major Races of the UK

Though there are many racecourses across the UK, there are three that are considered to be some of the most prestigious in the world. They are the Grand National, the Cheltenham Festival, and the Royal Ascot. We’ve put together this quick guide to help you find out more about each one.

(Image Source: Pixabay)

The Grand National

The Grand National has been held since 1839. Since its inauguration, it has been held at the Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool. This is a steeplechase, that sees the horses and their riders cover approximately 4 miles and 2 and a half furlongs over the course of the race. This takes the form of two laps of the course, with the horse jumping over 30 fences.

Many of the fences are famous themselves, and fans and commentators watch eagerly to see how the horses will approach these turns. It is often considered to be an amazing display of skill to be able to handle these jumps so easily. The winner takes in the most valuable prize pot in European jump racing – with a total prize currently of £1 million.

The Cheltenham Festival

Held in Cheltenham in March each year, the Cheltenham Festival has the second biggest prize pot after the Grand National. The festival stretches over four days, and includes many different events. The oldest race still running today is the Stayers’ Hurdle. Horses must cover a distance of about 3 miles and successfully jump over the 12 hurdles of the race. This race has been running since 1912.

Cheltenham attracts many different types of racing fans to it – from those who follow the sport ardently to those who are just interested in the major races. No matter where you fall in this, check out some Cheltenham odds to gain some early insight into what might happen in the next festival.

The Royal Ascot

The Royal Meeting takes place at the Ascot Racecourse in Berkshire in June each year. Queen Elizabeth II can be found at the races at Ascot throughout the year, but it is the Royal Meeting which is often considered to be the most prestigious. This racecourse has had close ties with the monarchy of the UK since it was founded by Queen Anne in 1711.

The Gold Cup is the most prestigious of the Ascot races. It is a flat race that takes place over a distance of approximately 2 miles and 3 furlongs. This race has been taking place since 1807.

These are just three of the biggest races in the UK. You will find plenty more on the racing calendar here. You could want to learn more about racing as a whole, or you could want to focus your knowledge on the races mentioned above. Either way, you are going to be able to find lots of facts to learn about some of the biggest racing meets that the UK hosts each year. The three above will always be a great place to start.

Which are the ‘named’ fences on the Grand National Course?

The Grand National Course at Aintree consists of 16 fences, 14 of which are jumped twice during the Grand National – so 30 jumps in total, but five of them, namely Becher’s Brook, Foinavon, Canal Turn, Valentine’s Brook and The Chair, have become famous, or infamous, in their own right. Indeed, four of the ‘named’ fences – not counting fence 3, the first open ditch fence, Westhead – come one after another in rapid succession.

The most famous of them all, Becher’s Brook, is the sixth fence on the first circuit and is named after Captain Martin Becher, who took shelter in the brook on the landing side after being unseated from his mount, Conrad, in the inaugural Grand National in 1839. The fence, itself, stands 4′ 10″ high, but a steep drop on the landing side, which is between 5″ and 10″ lower than the take-off side, makes Becher’s Brook a notoriously difficult obstacle.

Becher’s Brook is immediately followed by Foinavon, an unremarkable, 4′ 6″ high fence – in fact, one of the smallest on the Grand National Course – but, nevertheless, the scene of a dramatic melee during the 1967 Grand National. The 100/1 outsider, and eventual winner, Foinavon, was the only horse to jump the fence at the first time of asking and, in 1984, it was renamed in his honour.

The next fence, the eighth on the first circuit, is the Canal Turn, which takes its name from its position, near the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and the fact that horses must negotiate a sharp left turn immediately after the fence. Next comes Valentine’s Brook, originally known simply as the Second Brook, but renamed after Valentine, the horse that negotiated the fence in bizarre, twisting fashion, apparently landing hind feet first, during the 1840 Grand National. Fence 11 is called Booth, named after fence builder, John Booth.

Last, but by no means least, of the ‘named’ fences, The Chair is the fifteenth, and penultimate, fence on the first circuit and is jumped just once. Originally known as the Monument Jump, The Chair stands 5’3″ high and has a 6′ wide ditch on the take-off side, making it the tallest (by two inches) and broadest fence on the Grand National Course. It’s a fence that has prooved challening for many a horse. The following fence ‘Water Jump‘, which has a large pool of water in front of it, is a joy in comparison.

Should you be looking for a more succinct answer, with plain fence removed the named fences in the Grand National are as follows:

 

3 – Westhead – 5ft high, open ditch

6 – Becher’s Brook – 4ft 10in high, drop on landing

7 – Foinavon – 4ft 6in high

8 – Canal Turn – 5ft high

9 – Valentine’s Brook – 5ft high

11 – Booth – 5ft high, open ditch

15 – The Chair – 5ft 2in high, open ditch on take off

16 – Water Jump – 2ft 6in high, pool of water behind fence

 

Which was the longest-priced winner of the Grand National?

The Grand National is often dubbed ‘the ultimate test for horse and rider’ and although the celebrated steeplechase has not – or, at least, not yet – thrown up the longest-priced winner in the history of British horse racing it has produced its fair share of ‘shock’ victories. All told, in 172 renewals, five winners of the Aintree marathon have been returned at treble-figure odds, all at 100/1, and collectively they share the distinction of being the longest-priced winner.

Granted that the five 100/1 chances represent less than 3% of Grand National winners, it would be reasonable to assume that they are few and far between. However, while the first 100/1 winner, Tipperary Tim did not pop up until 1928 – that is, the eighty-seventh renewal of the Grand National – he was followed in the very next year by the second, Gregalach. Another 19 years later, in 1947, in the first Grand National run on a Saturday, Eddie Dempsey steered Caughoo to a 20-length success and 20 years later still, in 1967, Foinavon became arguably the most famous, and fortuitous, Grand National winner of them all after avoiding a melee at the fence that now bears his name. Over four decades later, in 2009, Mon Mome completed the quintet of 100/1 winners, but there appeared no fluke about his 12-length victory over 2008 winner Comply Or Die.

1 … 114 115 116 117 118 … 173