JOHN SMITH’S GRAND NATIONAL 2010: Looking back at the Aintree showpieces which began the decades down the years

SINCE the first official races were held at Aintree in 1829, there have been many memorable winners of the Grand National.

Now as we begin another 10-year cycle in 2010, we look back on the first winners from each decade.

1829

PRIOR to the creation of the race we know today as the Grand National, Aintree was the home to Flat horse racing from 1829.

The first official races at Aintree were organised by a syndicate, headed by the owner of Liverpool’s Waterloo Hotel, William Lynn. He leased the land from Lord Sefton, set out a course and built a grandstand.

Lord Molyneux laid the foundation stone on February 7, 1829 and placed a bottle full of sovereigns in the footings. The first Flat fixture was held five months later on July 7. A horse called MUFTI won the opening race, the one and a quarter mile Croxteth Stakes.

1840

JERRY had been the last of 18 runners in 1839 when Lottery won but dropped out just before the race. He went on to win as a 12-1 outsider in his Grand National debut in 1840. Jerry, ridden by Bartholomew Bretherton, ended up with a seemingly easy victory from what had been a hard fought race.

The 1840 Grand National, however, is far more famous because of the events surrounding another horse Valentine. Irish amateur Alan Power was so confident in his horse that he bet they would be ahead at the wall.

The pair were ahead approaching the second brook before the horse reared up violently and corkscrewing over, but still reaching the other side. The brook has been known as Valentine’s Brook ever since.

1850

TINY in stature, but with a huge heart, Irish-trained ABD-EL-KADER became an instant favourite with the Aintree crowd when defying his build to negotiate the Grand National fences.

Unquoted in the betting prior to the first victory in 1850, the bookmakers were not so generous the following year when installing Abd-El-Kader the 7-1 joint favourite, but the handicapper seemed to have a shorter memory, and, just 6lb higher than the previous year, Abd-El-Kader duly obliged to become the first horse to win the Grand National twice.

1860

THE 1860s proved to be the decade for mares in the Grand National. ANATIS, the 7-2 favourite, became the third of 13 mares to win and the first of four that decade.

1870

THE COLONEL was sent off 100-7 for his first Grand National victory in 1869, although the relative confidence behind the six-year-old may have been more reflective of his jockey George Stevens, who had already won the great race three times, than the form that The Colonel had shown.

Despite a hike in the weights for the following year’s renewal, The Colonel attracted considerable support and the 7-2 favourite held off the challenge of The Doctor to win by half a length and hand Stevens his fifth win, a record which still stands.

1880

EMPRESS won the 1880 Grand National ridden by Tommy Beasley who had also ridden Martha to finish second in 1878 and third place in 1879. Due to his past performances Beasley and Empress started at 8-1 in a race which saw only 14 starters. But of those 14 there were 10 finishers.

1890

JOCKEY Arthur Nightingall had finished second in 1888 and third as in 1889 but finally won the Grand National in 1890 when aboard favourite ILEX at the starting odds of 4-1. Pan, who Nightingall finished third on a year earlier, was again place at 100-1.

1900

THE winner AMBUSH II was owned by The Prince of Wales, later to become King Edward VII.

1910

BOB CHADWICK won the Grand National aboard JENKINSTOWN in 1910 having finished second 12 months earlier on Judas. The pair beat Grand Steeplechase de Paris winner Jerry M, who was ridden by Lester Piggott’s grandfather Ernie. Jerry M and Piggott carried top weight of 12st7lb, but went one better when winning the 1912 National.

1920

TROYTOWN gave amateur rider Jack Anthony his third success, winning by 12 lengths in heavy ground. The race was worth a record £5,000. Algy Anthony, who in 1900 had ridden Ambush to victory, trained the winner.

1930

SHAUN GOILIN won the 1930 Grand National ridden by Tommy Cullinan. The horse also finished third two years later. For jockey Cullinan it was a sweet success as two years earlier, when aboard Billy Barton he led until late in the race only to be beaten into in second place by Tipperary Tim.

1940

THE Lord Stalbridge-trained/owned BOGSKAR won the final Grand National before World War II stopped the event between 1941 and 1945.

1950

HER Majesty, Queen Elizabeth, (who became the Queen Mother on the death of her husband in 1952) had her first runner. Monaveen, jointly owned by Princess Elizabeth (the present Queen), finished fifth behind winner FREEBOOTER.

1960

The BBC televised the race for the first time, 33 years after the initial radio coverage. Peter O’Sullevan, Clive Graham and Peter Bromley were the commentators. Neville Crump trained his third and final Grand National winner, MERRYMAN II, ridden by Gerry Scott, who acted as the Grand National starter in 1996.

Crump was also successful with Sheila’s Cottage in 1948 and Teal four seasons later.

1970

PAT TAAFFE, successful in the Grand National on Quare Times in 1955, landed a second victory aboard GAY TRIP, his last ride in the race.

1980

DESPITE seeming to be unsuited by heavy ground, BEN NEVIS won the Grand National in desperate conditions which saw only four finishers.

The 12-year-old was ridden by merchant banker Charles Fenwick, who became the second American amateur to triumph in the race following Tommy Smith 15 years earlier. Aintree mourned the death of Mirabel Topham, who died aged 88.

1990

MR FRISK set a new record Grand National winning time of 8m 47.8s when partnered by Marcus Armytage, the most recent amateur to be successful.

2000

ANOTHER Irish father and son combination was successful as Ruby Walsh partnered PAPILLON, trained by his father Ted, to victory.

The nine-year-old had been backed down to 10-1 from 33-1 on the day of the race and cost the bookmakers a reported £10million.

The race was worth £500,000 for the first time.

Dinner marks 25th anniversary of Grand National success

A dinner to mark the 25th anniversary of a jockey's "epic ride" to win the Grand National is being staged later.
The event in Cardigan, Ceredigion, will celebrate Hywel Davies's win on 50-1 outsider Last Suspect in 1985.
Mr Davies, who is originally from the town, will be joined by former champion jockey Peter Scudamore and ex-world powerboat champion Jonathan Jones.
The dinner is one of a series of events planned to mark Cardigan's 900th anniversary this year.
The boxing dinner, along with plans to show the Grand National race from 1985 on a big screen, will be held at the town's newly revamped Guildhall.
Mr Davies's win on Last Suspect at Aintree was not celebrated in all quarters in the town, with bookmakers believed to have lost hundreds of pounds.
He got his blood up the day of the national and just went
Hywel Davies speaking about Last Suspect
Among the guests at the dinner will be Mr Davies's friend, the eight-time champion jockey Peter Scudamore, whose horse Corbiere was third behind Last Suspect in 1985.
Four-time world powerboat champion Jonathan Jones, who is an old school friend of Mr Davies's from Cardigan, will also be attending, along with Neale Doughty, who won the national on Hallo Dandy in 1984.
Mr Davies, 52, who now runs a horse feed business in Lambourn, Berkshire, said: "People in Cardigan were great after I won the National, and it's a great honour for me that this event is tied in with the 900th anniversary of the town.
"It's great my old school friend Jonathan Jones, a four-time world powerboat champion from Cardigan, is going to be there, along with another of my friends, eight-time champion jockey Peter Scudamore."
Mr Davies said he could still remember the race in a great detail.
Last Suspect was the longest priced winner of the Aintree showpiece for nearly two decades.
But it took his jockey to persuade owner, the Duchess of Westminster, to let the 11-year-old run on the day, after he pulled up in his previous outing.
Mr Davies added: "He was a very classy horse. He had a lot of ability and he was a gentleman, but if he wasn't in the mood then he wouldn't go.

Lee-Chung: Meeting Due Monday

Grand National Party (GNP) and President Lee Myung bak Chairman Rep. Chung Mong joon will meet over breakfast today at Cheong Wa Dae to discuss pending political issues, GNP officials said Sunday. On the agenda will be the National Assembly's planned inspection of ministries and government agencies, which will start Thursday, the result of the by-elections last week and the growing controversy over the government's move to modify the Sejong City project, the officials said. It will the third one-on-one meeting between Lee and Chung since the latter replaced Park Hee tae as the chairman of the governing party in early September. Park was one of the two GNP candidates who won Assembly seats in the by elections to pick five lawmakers. The main opposition Democratic Party won the other three seats. The gathering is taking place at a time when junior GNP lawmakers are calling for restructuring of the party's leadership and post election measures to regain public confidence.Some critics said the outcome of the elections indicates weakening public backing for Lee's major policies, such as the project to refurbish four rivers nationwide and the amendment of the Sejong City plan."Lee and Chung will focus on setting up a future course of action to get more public support for state policies,'' a spokesman said. "Lee is expected to call for the GNP's support for policies for working class families and low income earners, while suggesting measures to ease conflicts with opposition parties."

Represented in Cabinet to Four Lawmakers

The announcement of a new Cabinet lineup Thursday marks a major turning point for President Lee Myung bak and the governing Grand National Party (GNP) in their try to spur economic recuperation and promote social integration, analysts say.One of the key characteristics of the new Cabinet is that it has become younger, reflecting Lee's push for political and economic reform. Of the seven ministers assign, including former Seoul National University president Chung Un chan, named the next Prime Minister, five are in their 40s and 50s. The average age of ministers will fall to 59 from the current 62.4 if all the nominations are sanctioned by the National Assembly.The comprehension of three GNP lawmakers Choi Kyung hwan, Yim Tah hee and Joo Ho young also came as a surprise.Recently, Lee has only one lawmaker turned minister Health, Welfare and Family Affairs Minister Jeon Jae hee."The GNP has requested more opportunities for lawmakers to come into the Cabinet as most presidential staff and ministers have little experience in politics," a GNP spokesman said. "The current reshuffle reflects these concerns and indicates Cheong Wa Dae will strengthen communication with the governing party in setting up a future course of action."Lee's choice of Rep. Choi, connected with former GNP Chairwoman Rep. Park Geun hye, also advise that he will reflect opinions from diverse political factions in managing state affairs. Some GNP officials said the decision means that Lee has offered an olive branch to Rep. Park to address physical conflicts ahead of the by elections next month."Considering Park's influence on her GNP colleagues, it will be almost impossible for the governing party to win the elections and overcome future political challenges," the spokesman said.Cheong Wa Dae officials said the reshuffle is also aimed at addressing regional and ideological divisions.Premier nominee Chung, a veteran economist, will interchange Han Seung soo to become the second prime minister since Lee's inauguration in February last year.Chung's appointment was largely unexpected as he had been touted as a potential candidate of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) for the next presidential race."Chung is the best choice for prime minister as he has rested neutral over ideological and regional conflicts," a presidential spokesman said. "We believe he will realise President Lee's goals of overcoming the economic crisis, stabilising the livelihood of common people and resolving political and ideological divisions."In his autobiography, published in 2007, Chung said he was a realist, adding he was neither a pro government person nor conservative. He picked Deng Xiao Ping as a perfect example of a leader for a country.

GRAND NATIONAL WINNER FOR SUMMER CAMP

Cowdray Hunt Pony Club members had a special treat when Grand National winner Liam Treadwell joined them for the last night of their week-long senior camp.
Parents also arrived to watch the match and there was very happy to see win of there son
the Eventers Challenge grand finale of the camp and see Liam, a former member of the Cowdray Pony Club, present the prizes. Branch secretary Zoe Jones, who organised the event with district commissioner Maggie Mockett, said: "He came for the day to meet the members, have a tour of the stables, watch the competition and hand out the trophies to the prize-winners.
He gave an physically interesting talk about his early ridding career with cowdray pony club, showing capture of his ridding jumping one of his first ponies, Huckleberry, who is still being ridden today by a pony club child.
After passed his racing suddenly which he used in the Grand National, he gave answer which belongs to race itself and the preparation required to race
at this level. "We all felt very proud that his riding career started with the Cowdray Pony Club. He went on to say that many of the jockeys today were members of the Pony Club."The camp was held on the Hammerwood estate at Iping for members aged between 11 and 16."It teaches them to look after their ponies and the importance of tack and turnout," said Mrs Jones.

The 2009 Grand National was won by Liam Treadwell

The 2009 Grand National was won by 100/1 rank-outsider Mon Mome ridden by Grand National debutant jockey Liam Treadwell. He is the biggest-priced winner since Foinavon in 1967 and the first winner trained by a woman (Venetia Williams) since the days of Jenny Pitman. The horse came 10th in the Grand National last year and carried 11 stone for the race

Grand National Course and Fences

The Grand National is the ultimate test of horse and jockey. The race comprises two full circuits of a unique 2¼ mile (3,600 metres) course, where challengers will face 30 of the most testing fences in the world of jump racing.

Each of the 16 fences on the course are jumped twice, with the exception of The Chair and the Water Jump, which are jumped on the first circuit only.

The Start

There is a hazard to overcome even before the race starts - the build up, parade and re-girthing prior to the off lasts for around 25 minutes, over double the time it takes for any other race.

With 40 starters, riders naturally want a good sight of the first fence and after the long build-up their nerves are stretched to breaking point, which means the stewards' pre-race warning to go steady is often totally ignored.

Becher's Brook: Although the fence looks innocuous from the take-off side, the steep drop on the landing side, together with a left-hand turn on landing, combine to make this the most thrilling and famous fence in the horse racing world. The fence actually measures 6 ft 9 in on the landing side, a drop of 2 ft from take off.

Becher's Brook earned its name when a top jockey, Captain Martin Becher, took shelter in the brook after being unseated. "Water tastes disgusting without the benefits of whisky" he reflected.

The Chair: The final two jumps of the first circuit form the only pair negotiated just once - and they could not be more different. The Chair is both the tallest (5ft 3in) and broadest fence on the course, with a 6ft wide ditch on the take-off side.

Water Jump: This 2ft 9in fence brings the first circuit to an end and the sight of the runners jumping it at speed presents a terrific spectacle in front of the grandstands.

The Finish

The 494-yard long run in from the final fence to the finish is the longest in the country and has an acute elbow halfway up it that further drains the then almost empty stamina reserves of both horse and jockey.

For numerous riders over the years, this elongated run-in has proved mental and physical agony when the winning post seems to be retreating with every weary stride.

Don't count your money until the post is reached as with the rest of the Grand National course, the run-in can - and usually does - change fortunes.

Grand National Legends

The Grand National is a enormous British institution where each year the nation is trapped up in Grand National Betting as a once in a year opportunity to have a bet on a horse race where anything is possible. Each year a single story emerges that confines the imagination of the Public. The Grand National has lots of such stories throughout the years that touch the nation.

One of the most well-known of these stories was when Aldaniti won the Grand National in 1981. In 1979, Bob Champion, the jockey of Aldaniti, was informed he had cancer and only months to live, not only that but the horse also was almost retired because of leg trouble. In 1983, Jenny Pitman became the most popular women in the racing game by becoming the first women to train a winner of the Grand National with Corbiere. Jenny had a second victory in 1995 with Royal Athlete and also trained the winner of the void race in 1993.


The late Captain Tim Forster, who received an OBE in the 1999 New Year's Honours List, saddled three Grand National Winners. His first success came in 1972 with Well to Do. Forster, not renowned for his optimism declared to run with 15 minutes to spare as he was uncertain whether to risk the horse at Aintree.


The Irish trainer Vincent O'Brien successful with jump and flat horses had great success in the 1950s with three successive Winners of the Grand National - Early Mist (1953), Royal Tan (1954) and Quare Times (1955).

Grand National - Travel

Aintree Racecourse is situated on the outskirts of Liverpool on the A59 Ormskirk to Liverpool road, five miles from Liverpool city centre.Getting to Aintree Racecourse By Road from the south: Leave M6 at J 21A and join M62 west. Leave M62 at J 6 to join M57, follow signs for races. From the North: Leave M6 at J 26 and join M58, follow signs for races. From Mersey Tunnel: Follow signs for Preston, then for A59, then signs for races.

Car Parking

This is very important if you have not visited the racetrack before as there is limited space and as such the parking around the racecourse is minimal. It is recommended to use the park and ride scheme operational at Brookfield School in Kirkby. This hard standing car park is free and is well signposted from the M57 motorway [J6]. The free coach transfer transports you to the Seeds Lane entrance of the racecourse and returns at the end of racing. The free on-site coach park is for parties who have pre-booked the Tattersalls or Steeplechase car parks.

Travelling By Train
Trains One of the best ways to get to the racecourse is to take the train. The nearest mainline train station to Aintree is Liverpool Lime Street. Liverpool Central Station is just a short walk from Lime Street, where you can catch a train to Aintree. Aintree Station is directly across the road from the main entrance to the racecourse where race trains run frequently. Rail enquiries: 08457484950 Mersey travel: 0870 608 2608.

Aintree Racecourse History

The first official races at Aintree were set up by the vendor of Liverpool's Waterloo Hotel, Mr William Lynn. Mr Lynn let the land from Lord Sefton, laid out a course, built a grandstand and staged the first Flat fixture on July 7, 1829.
Aintree is the home of world most popular races. The Aintree Grand National was first begin in 1839 and was won by the 5-1 favourite "Lottery". This was also the year in which the notorious Captain Martin Becher fell from his horse "Conrad" into the brook when in the lead, thus beginning the legend that is Becher's Brook.
In recent years the Aintree racecourse has gone from strength to strength and a large part of the credit can go to Martell who offered much needed funding at an important time. New Sponsors John Smiths Beer took over the Grand National sponsorship in 2005 and this ties in nicely with future plans for the course which include a new grandstand, as well as a redeveloped Parade Ring and Winner's Enclosure.