Who was the last amateur rider to win the Grand National?

In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, amateur, or ‘gentleman’, riders regularly participated in, and won, the Grand National. However, throughout the twentieth century, as National Hunt racing became more commercialised, amateur participation in the Grand National dwindled. In fact, nowadays, amateur riders in the Grand National are very few and far between.

Amateur Katie Walsh, who retired from race riding in April, 2018, went close to winning the Grand National at her first attempt in 2012, when her mount, Seabass, led from the second-last fence until the Elbow, halfway up the run-in, before fading to finish third. The last amateur rider to win the National, though, was Marcus Armytage who, in 1990, partnered Mr. Frisk to a three-quarters-of-a-length victory over Durham Edition. In the last ever National run on going officially described as ‘firm’ – nowadays, the National Course is routinely watered to prevent going faster than ‘good to soft’ – Mr. Frisk set a course record time of 8 minutes 47.8 seconds. Armytage, nowadays racing correspondent for ‘The Telegraph’, later wrote that his ‘first emotion was relief at not having cocked up’.

Which is the biggest fence on the Grand National course?

The fifteenth fence, known as ‘The Chair’, is both the tallest and broadest fence on the Grand National course. The fence, itself, stands 4’ 8” high, but the ground on the landing side is actually 6” higher than that on the take-off side, so horses must clear a total height of 5’ 2”. Breadth-wise, The Chair measures 3’ 0”, but is preceded by a ditch, 6’ 0” across, to create a total breadth of 9’ 0”.

Along with the sixteenth fence, the Water Jump, The Chair is jumped just once during the Grand National. By contrast, ‘Becher’s Brook’ is jumped twice, as the sixth and twenty-second fence. Again, the fence, itself, stands just 4’ 10” high, but the lie of the land means that it is effectively 6’ 9” high, from the top of the fence to ground level, on the landing side.

Has a lady jockey ever won the Grand National?

The simple answer is no, at least, not yet. The first lady jockey to ride in the Grand National was Charlotte Brew, who failed to complete the course on her own horse, Barony Court, in 1977. The first lady jockey to complete the Grand National course was Geraldine Rees, on Cheers, in 1982 and although several other lady jockeys have done so subsequently few of them have threatened to win the world famous steeplechase. So far, those to have achieved the highest placings are Rosemary Henderson, on Fiddlers Pike, Carrie Ford, on Forest Gunner, and Bryony Frost, on Milansbar, who all finished fifth, in 1994, 2005 and 2018, respectively, and Katie Walsh, on Seabass, who finished third in 2012.

Did Lester Piggott ever win the Grand National?

Lester Piggott is arguably the greatest Flat jockey of all time. Between 1948 and 1995, he rode 4,493 winners on the Flat, including 30 British Classic winners, and became Champion Jockey 11 times. Piggott never rode over fences, so he could never have won the Grand National but, early in his career, he did ride successfully over hurdles.

In fact, Piggott rode his first winner over obstacles, Eldoret, at Wincanton on Boxing Day, 1953. The following spring – still three months before his first Derby winner, Never Say Die – he won the Birdlip Hurdle, the opening race at what became the Cheltenham Festival, on Mull Sack and the Triumph Hurdle, in those days run at the now-defunct Hurst Park, on Prince Charlemagne, within the space of a few days. All in all, between 1953 and 1959, Lester Piggott rode 20 winners over hurdles, mainly for his father, Keith.

Lester Piggott may never have won the Grand National, but his grandfather, Ernie, rode three Grand National winners – Jerry M in 1912 and Poethlyn in 1918 and 1919 – and his father saddled the 1963 Grand National winner, Ayala; perhaps the headline question is not quite so absurd, after all? Additionally, although Piggott never won the Grand National, he did ride a National winner. (Red Rum, twice, on the flat).

1 … 166 167 168 169 170 … 173