The biggest controversies and best moments at the Grand National
- Charlie Smith
- @CharlieSmith118
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The Grand National was supposed to be taking place this weekend, however, due to the ongoing crisis around the world, the highly-anticipated race at Aintree was called off. That hasn’t stopped us though, so we’ve decided to take a look back at some of the best moments and biggest controversies from the prestigious race.
Red Rum's epic comeback in 1973
Crisp was one of the main favourites in 1973 and looked like he had it in the bag entering the final stretch. However, Red Rum produced one of the best comebacks in National history to pip the Australian thoroughbred to the post.
Red Rum makes history in 1977
The great Red Rum then made history four years later by becoming the first horse to win the National on three separate occasions. Tommy Stack was the jockey to guide Red Rum to glory.
Last horse standing in 1928
Remarkably, the 1928 National only saw one horse finish. That was Tipperary Tim, with 41 out of the 42 horses falling due to awful conditions.
Bob beats cancer and triumphs in 1981
One of the most inspiring stories from the history of the National came in 1981. Bob Champion was recovering from cancer, so when he led Aldaniti to glory, it went down as one of the best stories in racing history.
Pitman makes training history
Corbiere made history with his victory in 1983, becoming the first winner to be trained by a woman. Trainer Jenny Pitman would go on to train another winner in 1995 as well!
Foinavon’s shock win
Everyone loves an underdog, and Foinavon shocked the nation in 1967. A 100-1 outsider, Foinavon now has the 23rd fence named after him after starting his dramatic win at that moment.
Void Race in 1993
The 1993 National was, to put it bluntly, bonkers! 30 of the 39 riders failed to notice that there had been a false start, so carried on with the race. Esha Ness would go onto claim victory, however, the race was eventually declared void!
Two horses finish in 2001
Eight years passed until there was another dramatic National. This time, only four horses finished the race, although two were without a jockey! Poor conditions at Aintree played its part, with Red Marauder emerging as the outside winner.
McCoy wins at 15th time of asking
Tony McCoy is arguably horse racing’s best ever jockey, and he finally had his National moment in 2010. The champion jockey won the race on his 15th attempt with Don’t Push It, and his win has gone down in history.
Closest-ever finish in 2012
It’s not often the National goes to a photo finish, but that’s what happened in 2012! Neptune Collonges became the first grey winner of the race, narrowly pipping Sunnyhillboy to the post.
Royal slip on the final stretch
Devon Loch looked on course to give the nation a first royal victory in over half a century in1956, however, a dramatic slip late on was costly. The Queen Mother’s horse fell on its belly at the last, which allowed E.S.B. to sneak through and take the win!
2011 and 2012 controversy
Unfortunately, two horses died during the 2011 and 2012 races, which led to plenty calling for change. In 2013, softer plastic centres were added to fences to make them safer while deep drops were also removed from some fences.
Russell's emotional win
In 2018, Davy Russell captured a lifelong dream to win the National with Tiger Roll. His emotion after winning the tight race has gone down in history. The oldest jockey in the race on the smallest horse was a great partnership.
The Monday race in 1997
The 1997 National will never be forgotten, purely because it took place on a Monday! The scheduled race on Saturday was called off due to security fears following a bomb scare. However, the crowd gathered once at Aintree 48 hours later to see Lord Gyllene storm to victory.