The Grand National’s Strangest Moments
The Grand National is one of the most unpredictable and thrilling events within the world of horse racing, with its long history dating all the way back to 1839 seeing countless extraordinary moments. From shock winners to chaotic pile ups, the competition has seen it all. Although the crowning event of Aintree Festival is well known for its drama and next level excitement, there have been a number of truly bizarre and strange moments within this race that not even the live casino world could have predicted. From unexpected interruptions and rare incidents, all the way to surprising turn of events, we have picked out some of the strangest moments to ever occur at the Grand National.
The Race That Never Was
Beginning with one of the most controversial moments in the history of the Grand National, a series of miscommunications in the 1993 edition of the race actually led to its being declared void. Before the race even started, chaos was afoot, with protestors initially delaying proceedings. Once the race finally got around to its new off time however, a false start was then called due to the starting tap malfunctioning. However, many of the participating runners did not actually realise that the race had been stopped due to this false start, continuing to ride as if they were still in the legitimate event.
Even with the frantic attempts of officials around the race course attempting to halt the race, 30 out of the 39 jockeys kept going around the 4 mile track, with John White riding Esha Ness to what he believed was victory. Despite this, the result of this false start was never officially recorded, with the race proceeding to be delcalder null and void. This was the first, and still is the only time to date, in which this has happened in Grand National his
Foinavon Fiasco
Another of the most famous and more bizarre moments in the history of the Grand National occured in 1967 when 100/1 outsider Foinavon won in one of the most unexpected fashions. Upon the pack of contenders approaching the 23rd fence, chaos unfolded when a loose horse caused a massive pile up of runner’s, bringing down almost all of the leading contenders.
However, as Foinavon was far behind the leaders, jockey John Buckingham had enough time to steer his horse wide and avoid all the unfolding carnage. White other jockeys struggled to remount their horses, Foinavon trotted on to take an unchallenged lead and secure an astonishing outsider victory. Due to the extraordinary pile up that occurred at the 23rd fence, this was later named the Foinavon Fence at the Aintree racecourse.
The Fan Who Joined The Race
In 1960, the Grand National witnessed a surreal moment when a drunk spectator decided he wanted to join the race and ran onto the track. The fan in question, clearly inebriated with too much booze, tried to run alongside the horses, however, was quickly tackled by security before causing him or any of the runners and real danger. Due to this humorous turn of events which non one expected, it remains as one of the strangest interruptions ever seen at the Grand National.
Unconscious Jockey
Although it is now regarded as one of the most famous races in the events history, the 1973 Grand National was still home to a strange turn of events regarding Australian horse Crisp. This runner was leading the race by a wide margin, however, he suddenly started to tire and dropped off in the final stretch. Behind him was the iconic Red Rum who managed to close the gap, overtaking Crisp just before the finish line. Although this seemed strange to spectaturs, the moment was made even more bizarre after the race concluded.
When interviewed, Crisp’s jockey Richared Pitam admitted that he was so exhausted from the demanding course that he was actually rendered unconscious temporarily, barely registering what happened in the final stretches of the race. As a result of this, his judgement was clouded completely, with him proceeding to allow Red Rum to secure his first of three legendary Grand National wins despite his promising lead.
Devon Loch’s Sudden Collapse
One of the horses owned by Queen Elizabeth was involved in another of the strangest Grand National moments, with Devon Loch looking set to win the 1956 Grand National in comfortable fashion. However, to the disbelief of onlookers at the track, Devon Loch suddenly collapsed just 50 yards to the finish line. The horse simply appeared to leap into the air and crumple to the found, not tripping over any obstacle whatsoever. The jockey riding Devon Loch, that being Dick Francise, was left helpless as victory slipped away right in front of him, allowing runner ESB to storm past and claim the win. Even to this day, no one knows exactly why Devon Loch fell just before the racing post, however, some have speculated that the roaring crowd and shadows on the track spooked him at the worst moment possible.
Loose Horse Wins The Race
In the 1928 Grand National, only two horses managed to actually finish the race, with this being one of the most chaotic races ever run at the Aintree Festival. As the conditions were so brutal that day, horses fell left, right and centre, with many others unseating their jockeys in the princess. Remarkably, a loose horse with no rider named Billy Barton actually crossed the finish line first, however, wasn’t declared the winner due to there being no jacokey. To this day, the 1928 Grand National remains the smallest field of finishers in the race’s history.