Tag: red rum

How many horses have won the Grand National more than once?

In 2019, Tiger Roll made history by becoming the first horse since Red Rum, in 1974, to win the Grand National two years running. Of course, Red Rum went on to complete an unprecedented hat-trick in the world famous steeplechase in 1977 but, before ‘Rummy’, as he was affectionately known, the last horse to win two consecutive Grand Nationals was Reynoldstown in 1936. Before that, Poethlyn won two consecutive renewals of the Grand National, but the first of them, in 1918, came in the so-called ‘War National’, run at Gatwick Racecourse.

Three other horses – Abd-El-Kader in 1850 and 1851, The Colonel in 1869 and 1870 and Manifesto in 1897 and 1899 – have won the Grand National more than once so, including Poethlyn, a total of seven horses have done so. A horse called The Duke won the first two renewals of the Grand Liverpool Steeplechase – the race which later became the Grand National – in 1836 and 1837, but the first ‘official’ running of the Grand National took place in 1839. Having won the 2023 Grand National, in the 2024 event Lucinder Russell’s Corach Rambler had the opportunity to join this much revered list, but jockey Derek Fox was unseated at the very first fence.

The winner was instead the Willie Mullins owned I Am Maximus, who himself has an opportunity to win the Grand National twice if he repeats his winning ways in 2025. He’s currently 10-1 favourite to win the race ahead of Intense Raffles at 14-1.

 

Which were the only two horses to beat Red Rum in the Grand National?

The cancellation of the 2020 Grand National due to the coronavirus pandemic has put paid, at least temporarily, to any attempt by Tiger Roll to win the celebrated steeplechase three years running. Of course, Red Rum won the National three times, in 1973, 1974 and 1977, but what is, perhaps, less well-remembered is that ‘Rummie’, as he was affectionately known, also finished second in the National in 1975 and 1976 on his only other attempts.

In 1975, despite being sent off 7/2 favourite, Red Rum was denied a third consecutive victory by L’Escargot, trained by Dan Moore and ridden by Tommy Carberry, who won comfortably by 15 lengths. In 1976, Red Rum started at 10/1 and went down by two lengths to Rag Trade, trained by Fred Rimmell and ridden by John Burke.

Who is, or was, the most successful trainer in the history of the Grand National?

In the history of the Grand National, the original ‘Master of Ballydoyle’, Vincent O’Brien, had the distinction of saddling three winners in a row, namely Early Mist, Royal Mist and Quare Times, in 1953, 1954 and 1955, respectively. However, three men have saddled four Grand National winners apiece and are, jointly, the most successful trainers in the history of the Grand National.

In the pioneering days of the Grand National, Epsom-based trainer George Dockeray was the first to achieve the feat when, in 1852, the unfancied 50/1 chance Miss Mowbray, ridden by Mr. Alec Goodman, beat Maurice Daley and Sir Peter Laurie by a length and half a length in the fourteenth renewal of the famous steeplechase. Dockeray had previously trained the winner of three of the first four ‘official runnings of the Grand National, namely Lottery (1839), Jerry (1840) and Gaylad (1842).

Over a century later, Fred Rimmell, a.k.a. ‘Mr. Grand National’, became the second trainer in history to saddle four Grand National winners when Rag Trade beat Red Rum by two lengths in the 1976 renewal. Rimmell, of course, was the trainer who had benefited from the dramatic collapse of Devon Loch in 1956, but aside from E.S.B., whose jockey Dave Dick admitted ‘was a terribly lucky winner’, also saddled Nicolaus Silver (1961) and Gay Trip (1970).

Last, but by no means least, Donald ‘Ginger’ McCain, trainer of Red Rum, who achieved legendary status by winning the Grand National in 1973, 1974 and 1977, finally achieved his fourth win, at the age of 73, in 2004. On that occasion, the twelve-year-old Amberleigh House, ridden by Graham Lee, defeated co-favourite Clan Royal by three lengths.

How many times has Tiger Roll won at the Cheltenham Festival?

At just under 16 hands high, Tiger Roll is small for a steeplechaser and was, in fact, originally bought by owner Michael O’Leary to win the Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival. However, Tiger Roll proved significantly better than anticipated, winning the Grade One Triumph Hurdle, on just his second start for his new connections, in 2014.

Subsequently, despite his diminutive size, fences have been the making of him. Of course, in April, 2019, he made history by becoming the first horse since Red Rum, in 1974, to win the Grand National two years running, but he also has three further successes at the Cheltenham Festival to his name. He won the National Hunt Chase in 2017 and the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase two years running, in 2018 and 2019, en route to victory in the Grand National.

Still only a nine-year-old, Tiger Roll takes the odd liberty with an obstacle but, although he did once unseat his rider in a novices’ chase at Galway, when bumped by a rival at the second-last fence, he has never fallen. So, while Michael O’Leary has said that Tiger Roll is ‘very unlikely’ to run in the Grand National in 2020, another win in the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase – which would be his fifth at the Cheltenham Festival – looks within the realms of possibility.

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