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

 

What was the largest field ever assembled for the Grand National?

Nowadays, the safety limit for the Grand National is 34 runners (which took effect on 13th April 2024), but the largest field ever assembled was 66 in 1929.  Photographs and videos of the start shows the record number of starters stretched out, in one long line, across the entire width of the Aintree track.

The 1929 Grand National was also notable as the first renewal after the filling in of the ditch that had previously preceded the Canal Turn, which had been the site of the biggest pile-up in National history the previous year. Indeed, one of the horses that contributed to the melee, Easter Hero, was sent off clear favourite at 9/2 in 1929, despite carrying the welter burden of 12st 7lb. In any event, Easter Hero finished second, beaten 6 lengths, by Gregalach, who became the second 100/1 winner in the history of the Grand National and, remarkably, the second consecutive 100/1 winner after Tipperary Tim in 1929.

Of the 66 starters, nine horses – including three 200/1 outsiders, Melleray’s Belle, Delarue and Kilbairn – completed the course. There was, however, one casualty; Stort, another 200/1 outsider, nearly unseated rider at the first fence, did so at the third fence, fell, when loose, at the Canal Turn on the first circuit and fell again, fatally, at the twelfth fence.

Who is Charlotte Brew?

Charlotte Budd (née Brew) had the distinction of being the first female jockey to ride in the Grand National. In 1977, as a 21-year-old, Brew lined up on the twelve-year-old Barony Court, a horse that she had been given as an eighteenth birthday present, who had qualified for the National by virtue of finishing fourth in the Foxhunters’ Open Hunters’ Chase, over the Grand National fences. Despite being ‘run off his feet’, the 200/1 outsider did not make a semblance of a mistake until the Canal Turn on the second circuit. However, three fences later, at ‘The Booth’ – a 5’3” fence, preceded by a 6’ wide ditch – Barony Fort dug in his toes and refused. Indeed, his young jockey attempted to clear the fence three more times, without success, before finally giving up. Although she made the front-page of the tabloid newspapers in the build-up to the National, in the aftermath of the race Brew was overshadowed by the unprecedented third victory of the legendary Red Rum.