Top Race Winners From The Grand National

The unpredictability of the Grand National is what makes it such an exciting steeplechase race. The Aintree course is a gruelling four miles and two-and-a-half furlongs in length with thirty birch fences ranging in height from 2’6″ to 5’2″. The rugged terrain includes water, ditches and high ground, and the winners need plenty of stamina and an instinct for unforeseen opportunities. Learn more about the top race winners from the Grand National from over the years in this article.

Foinavon

Nine-year-old Foinavon was considered a lacklustre prospect for the 1967 Grand National. The weather was wet, his odds were 100/1 and his jockey, John Buckingham, was a beginner to horse riding at the Aintree course.

At the twenty-third fence, Foinavon was trailing the field when two loose horses caused havoc by suddenly criss-crossing the track. Horses collided into each other, jockeys were thrown, and startled horses refused to continue. Foinavon easily avoided the mayhem, picked his way through the fence, then raced for the finishing post. The twenty-third fence was eventually named Foinavon in his honour.

Salamander

The 1866 Grand National involved one of the largest ever betting returns for trainer cum owner, Edward Studd. Although his horse, Salamander, had odds of 40/1, Studd gamely bet £1,000 on him to win. The money could have bought him more than sixty horses and would be worth around £60,000 in today’s money.

From a field of thirty, just seven horses would cross the finishing line. Salamander came home first, beating the 8/1 favourite, Cortolvin, by eight lengths. Studd’s winnings of £40,000 would now have a value of more than £2.5 million if a similar wager was placed on a modern day betting platform like betuk.com/betting/horse-racing.

Aldaniti

It seems Aldaniti and his jockey, Bob Champion, were made for each other. Aldaniti had narrowly avoided being put down after breaking his hock, while Champion was still receiving chemotherapy for cancer. Against all expectations, the two lined up with the other contenders on 4th April 1981.

Aldaniti jumped badly over the first few fences, but at Valentine’s Brook, a 5′ tall fence with a deep ditch, he overtook the favourite Spartan Missile. Aldaniti reached the finishing post just three lengths ahead. Aldaniti retired the following year, and in 1983 starred in the biographical film about his and Bob Champion’s success.

Red Rum

The greatest Grand National winner has to be Red Rum, a reddish-brown gelding with black mane. Trained by Ginger McCain, he is the only horse ever to win the race three times, in 1973, 1974 and 1977. He also secured second place in 1975 and 1976.

Red Rum’s first victory was an astonishing achievement as he was trailing the field by thirty lengths for much of the race. In 1974, Red Rum became the only horse in history to win the Grand Nationals of England and Scotland. His third Aintree win at the age of twelve saw him reach the finishing line with a twenty-five length lead.

Now a national hero, Red Rum became a celebrity, opening fetes and appearing at many race meeting parades. He sadly died at the age of thirty and was laid to rest at the winning post of the Grand National racecourse.

 Tiger Roll

In 2019, Tiger Roll won his second consecutive Grand National. He joined an elite band of such winners including The Duke (1836, 1837), Abd-el-Kader (1850, 1851), The Colonel (1869, 1870), Reynoldstown (1935, 1936) and Red Rum (1973, 1974).

His jockey in both rides was Davy Russell who has been incredibly successful at the Cheltenham Festival. His wins during 2014 included the Triumph Hurdle with Tiger Roll, and the Cheltenham Gold Cup aboard Lord Windermere. In the 2018 Grand National, it needed a photo finish to declare Tiger Roll the winner by a head from Pleasant Company. As 4/1 favourite in 2019, he beat Magic of Light by just two lengths!