Grand National Winners Since 1945

1. Derby Winners
2. Grand National Winners Since 1945 World Series
3. Grand National Winners Since 1945 1969

There simply isn’t a race quite like the Grand National, sometimes referred to as the ultimate test of horse and rider. For most it’s the greatest steeplechase on the planet and the global viewing figures help back this opinion up. Each year an estimated 600m people tune in to catch the enthralling spectacle and more people bet on this race in the UK than they do any other.

1. The Grand Staircase columns at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, where the Academy Awards ceremonies have been held since 2002, showcase every film that has won the Best Picture title since the award's inception. There have been 563 films nominated for Best Picture and 92 winners.
2. The 23-year-old aspired to be a doctor and had taken a year off from school before the pageant. Toni Ann’s win is an important milestone for several reasons. She is the first black woman to win the pageant since 2001, when Agbani Darego of Nigeria was crowned Miss World.

A day like no other for trainers, jockeys and racing fans, it’s also a special occasion for the bookies too. Britain’s biggest sporting event attracts around £250m in bets with even the most casual of gamblers unable to resist a tipple, or at least a quid or two in the office sweepstake.

Consequently, the Grand National roll of honour will be without a winner for the first time since the infamous ‘National that never was’ in 1993. On that occasion, a combination of circumstances, including disruption caused by animal rights’ protesters, led to two false starts, the second of which insufficiently signalled by the starter. Dockeray’s successes were during the start of the event with Lottery, one of the Grand National best horse to win, claiming the win in 1839. This was followed by Jerry, Gaylad, and Miss Mowbray in 1840, 1842, and 1852 respectively. Back then, he was the undisputed king of Grand National. The lottery is the winner of the Grand National first race.

Next Race: Saturday, 10th April 2021

The next race is scheduled to run on 10th April 2021. The race info, trends and tips shown below will be updated for the next renewal once the final declarations have been made.

Last Run: 6th April 2019

• Winner: Tiger Roll
• SP: 4/1
• Trainer: Gordon Elliott
• Jockey: Davy Russell

Race Info

This incredible test of stamina sees horses take on 30 of Aintree’s stiff fences during a battle over four and a quarter miles in length. A similarly unique purse matches the unique challenge presented with the prize fund for this race an incredible £1m, making it the richest chase in Europe.

Grand National Betting Tips

Note: The following tips are from 2020. Tips for the next renewal will be added once the final declarations have been made.

Race cancelled.

Grand National Winners

About the Grand National: A British Sporting Institution

The Grand National is much more than the biggest horse race of the year. It is up there with Wimbledon and the FA Cup as one of a few genuinely iconic events on the British sporting calendar, attracting millions of fans and punters each and every year.

It is impossible to pick out one reason why the Grand National is so popular. The race’s history, the challenge laid down to the horses and jockeys by the 4 mile, 2½ furlong trip and the difficulty of picking a winner all combine to make it such a well-loved event.

A History Like No Other Race

British racing fans are lucky to have such a wide selection and variety of horse racing action during both the flat and National Hunt seasons. There are many more prestigious contests amongst racing fans than the Grand National but there is no arguing that it is the most popular race with the public at large.

The Grand National has always been a hugely popular contest. The exact date and place of the first ever Grand Liverpool Steeplechase – which would go on to become the Grand National – is the matter of some debate but it’s generally believed that the first edition took place in 1836 although the record books show the first official race happened in 1839 and was fittingly won by a horse called Lottery.

If you thought the Grand National is tough now then you can only imagine how tough it was back in the 1800s when horses and jockeys had to jump stone walls and navigate ploughed land. It remained an incredibly stern test during the 1800s but the nature of the race changed forever in 1843 when switched from a weight-for-age race to a handicap. That idea came from Edward Topham who was himself a handicapper and subsequently bought Aintree Racecourse with his family in 1949.

A number of factors combined to help the early growth of the Grand National. A competitor race, the great St Albans Chase, fell off the schedule, travel to Liverpool got a lot easier with the arrival of the rail and a committee was created tasked with the promoting the race.

Aintree a Constant Star

The nature of the Grand National means that has created several stars with two legs and four. Horse, jockeys and trainers come and go but Aintree Racecourse is the Grand National’s one constant. Well, almost.

The Grand National Course at Aintree has been the host of the race for all but three years during the First World War. Aintree was commandeered by the War Office during the Great War but such was the desire to keep morale high in Britain that a substitute race was held at Gatwick Racecourse.

Although technically known as the War National Steeplechase, these three races are the only time that the Grand National was held away from its spiritual home. When Aintree was once again used during the Second World War (this time as a prisoner of war camp) the Grand National was suspended, thus there was no race between 1941 and 1945.

Away from those unavoidable breaks, the legend of Aintree has been able to grow. The Grand National course is one of the few courses at which the individual fences have their own history. Becher’s Brook, the Chair and the 90-degree angle of the Canal Turn have all taken several scalps in their time.

After the 30 fences have been safely navigated there’s the small matter of the run in that totals 494 yards. That’s one of the longest home straights in National Hunt racing and helps to produce thrilling finishes to the Grand National year on year.

A Home for Heroes

Winning the Grand National requires all manner of different qualities from a thoroughbred race horse. The one thing that links all winners is having the heart to tackle each fence without fear, to not be put off by 39 competitors and to hang on in the latter stages when being pushed to the very limit.

Every horse who wins the Grand National is assured of a place in history and, as mentioned above, it has produced more than its fair share of legends. In terms of individual competitors, no horse quite captured the public’s imagination like the inimitable Red Rum.

Despite being bred as a miler and being turned down by so many trainers that he eventually ended up being taken on by Ginger McCain who was a car dealer at the time, Red Rum became the first and so far only horse to win the Grand National three times. His first win in 1973 is arguably the greatest ever performance in the race’s history ensuring he got huge support during his wins in 1974 and 1977 and his two second place finishes in 1975 and 1976.

Other equine heroes of the Grand National include Manifesto who won in both 1897 and 1899, Golden Miller who added the 1934 Grand National to his five Cheltenham Gold Cup wins, 100/1 winner Foinavon who was the only horse left in the running after the 23rd fence which now bears his name, Mon Mome who was also a 100/1 winner in 2009. The gutsy 2018 winner Tiger Roll is one of the smallest horses ever to win the Grand National and he repeated the trick in 2019 for a famous second successive victory.

Human Story to Every Race

The starring horses from deserve much praise as do the jockeys who put their safety on the line each time they take a ride in the Grand National. It’s unlikely that we’ll ever see the record of four National wins set by George Stevens in 1870. It took Stevens 14 years after his first win to win his fourth but winning is much tougher now as evidenced by Tony McCoy’s sole win from 20 starts.

Ever since the Sex Discrimination Act of 1975 female jockeys have been able to ride in the Grand National. Charlotte Brew was the first woman to get a ride in the Grand National in 1977. Her horse, Barony Fort, refused at the 26th fence and it wasn’t until 1982 when Geraldine Reed became the first female jockey to complete the race.

Best Grand National Finishes by Female Jockeys: 1977 – 2019

Derby Winners

Venetia Williams was knocked unconscious during her attempt to win the Grand National as a jockey in 1988 but she was victorious in 2009 when she trained Mon Mome to his win. Jenny Pitman was the first winning female trainer in 1995 though thanks to Royal Athlete with Jason Titley on board.

A Race For All Ages

For a race with such a rich history it should come as no surprise that it has been won by horses with a range of ages – quite a wide range in fact. There have been five winners aged five (the most recent of which was Lutteur III in 1909), with most other ages covered right up to the granddaddy of them all, 15 year old Peter Simple who triumphed in 1853. Two 13 year olds have won the race, but never has a 14 year old been victorious, and we can’t see that changing anytime soon!

As you can see, nine year olds lead the way in terms of the age of winners, but generally speaking horses aged between seven and 11 years old have done well over the years.

Other Races of Note at Aintree

Blakeney (1966–1992) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He won the Derby at Epsom as a three-year-old in 1969 and was one of the few winners of the race to campaign successfully at four. He later had a successful stud career.

Background[edit]

Blakeney was bred by his owner and trainer Arthur Budgett at Kirtlington, Oxfordshire. He was the first of two Derby winners produced by the Oaks runner-up Windmill Girl, the other being Morston who won the race in 1973. His sire, Hethersett, was a top class racehorse who won the St Leger in 1962. Hethersett and Blakeney are representatives of the Byerley Turk sire line,^[1] unlike more than 95% of modern thoroughbreds, who descend directly from the Darley Arabian.^[2]

Blakeney, who was named after a village in Norfolk, was sent to the Newmarket Sales as a yearling. Shortly before the sale the colt was kicked by another horse and the resulting swelling deterred potential buyers^[3] so that he failed to reach his reserve price of 5,000gns. Budgett therefore decided to train the colt himself at his Whatcombe Stables near Wantage. The colt's one eccentricity was that he refused to enter a horse box in the usual way, preferring to go in backwards.^[4]

Racing career[edit]

1968: two-year-old season[edit]

Blakeney did not appear on the racecourse until the autumn of his first season. In September he finished fourth in the Clarence House Stakes at Ascot behind the future Coronation Cup winner Caliban. A month later, Blakeney, ridden by Ernie Johnson, recorded his first victory by winning the twenty-seven runner race at Newmarket.^[5]

During the winter, Budgett claimed that he turned down a 'big American offer' for the colt and backed him for the Derby at odds of 100/1.^[4]

1969: three-year-old season[edit]

Blakeney took time to reach his peak in the spring of 1969, and did not appear until two weeks before the Derby, when he ran in the Lingfield Derby Trial. Ridden by Geoff Lewis, he had problems finding a clear run, but then finished strongly to finish second to The Elk. The performance convinced some observers that the colt had been a 'desperately unlucky' loser and was a serious contender for the Derby.^[6]

Grand National Winners Since 1945 World Series

At Epsom, Blakeney was reunited with the twenty-one-year-old Ernie Johnson, who had been promised the ride after the win at Newmarket, and started at odds of 15/2. He was held up in the early stages as the pace was set by Moon Mountain. In the straight, Johnson made his challenge on the inside and drove Blakeney through a gap along the rails to take the lead inside the final furlong. The colt ran on strongly to win by a length from Shoemaker, with Prince Regent third.^[4] After the race, Budgett described himself as 'the luckiest man in the world.'^[7]

In his three remaining starts in 1969, Blakeney failed to reproduce his Derby-winning form. In the Irish Derby at the end of June he finished fourth of the fifteen runners behind Prince Regent. Blakeney did not have a particularly clear run in the St Leger in September, but his fifth place behind Intermezzo was a disappointment. On his final start he ran unplaced behind Levmoss in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.^[5]

Grand National Winners Since 1945 1969

1970: four-year-old season[edit]

Blakeney started his four-year-old season disappointingly, finishing fifth in the Jockey Club Stakes at Newmarket in April. In May he recorded his first win since the Derby when taking the Ormonde Stakes at Chester. Budgett then took the unusual decision to move Blakeney up in distance for the two and a half mile Ascot Gold Cup, a race which had not been won by a Derby winner since Ocean Swell in 1945. He appeared to cope with the extreme distance, but finished second, beaten three quarters of a length by Precipice Wood.

Blakeney’s best performance of the year came in defeat, when he ran in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot in July. Although he was no threat to the odds on favourite Nijinsky he kept on well under pressure to finish second, four lengths clear of the other runners who included Caliban (Coronation Cup), Crepellana (Prix de Diane) and the Washington, D.C. International winner Karabas.^[8] On his final start he improved on his 1969 effort in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, finishing fifth of the twenty-four runners behind Sassafras.^[5]

Assessment[edit]

Timeform rated Blakeney at 123 as a three-year-old (their lowest rating for a Derby winner) and 126 as a four-year-old.^[9]

In their book A Century of Champions, John Randall and Tony Morris rated Blakeney a “poor” Derby winner.^[10] Randall, writing in the Racing Post, rated Blakeney the third worst Derby winner since 1945.^[11]

Arthur Budgett called him 'a bloody good horse.'^[12]

Stud career[edit]

Blakeney stood as a stallion at the National Stud at Newmarket, where was later joined by his fellow Derby winners Mill Reef and Grundy. He made a successful start to his stud career, getting the Oaks winner Juliette Marny in his first crop of foals. His other notable winners included Julio Mariner, Tyrnavos, Mountain Lodge and Roseate Tern. Through his daughter Percy’s Lass, he is the broodmare sire of the Derby winner Sir Percy.^[13]

Blakeney died in 1992 and is buried at the National Stud.^[14]

Pedigree[edit]

References[edit]

1. ^'Byerley Turk Line'. Tbheritage.com. Retrieved 2011-09-05.
2. ^'95% of thoroughbreds linked to one superstud'. New Scientist. Retrieved 2011-09-05.
3. ^Horse Racing. 'Arthur Budgett: A rare breed indeed'. Telegraph. Retrieved 2011-10-14.
4. ^ ^abc'Fairy Tale win for Blakeney'. Glasgow Herald. Retrieved 2011-09-05.
5. ^ ^abcMortimer, Roger; Onslow, Richard; Willett, Peter (1978). Biographical Encyclopedia of British Flat Racing. Macdonald and Jane’s. ISBN0-354-08536-0.
6. ^'Blakeney taken to win Derby'. Glasgow Herald. Retrieved 2011-09-05.
7. ^'Luck played a major role says owner'. Spokesman-Review. Retrieved 2011-09-05.
8. ^'Nijinsky wins 10th'. Daytona Beach Morning Journal. Retrieved 2011-09-05.
9. ^Morris, Tony; Randall, John (1990). Horse Racing: Records, Facts, Champions(Third Edition). Guinness Publishing. ISBN0-85112-902-1.
10. ^Randall, J and Morris, T. Portway Press, 1999, p. 205
11. ^'Unbeaten Morston tops six worst Derby winners'. Thefreelibrary.com. 2004-06-02. Retrieved 2011-10-14.
12. ^Jon Lees (2011-06-23). 'Derby legend Arthur Budgett dies aged 95 - Horse Racing News'. Racing Post. Archived from the original on 2016-08-19. Retrieved 2011-11-05.
13. ^'Blakeney Offspring'. Pedigreequery.com. Retrieved 2011-11-05.
14. ^'Grave Matters National Stud'. Tbheritage.com. Retrieved 2011-11-05.
15. ^'English Derby Winner: Blakeney'. Chef-de-race.com. Retrieved 2011-11-05.
16. ^'Palmflower - Family 20-c'. Bloodlines.net. Retrieved 2012-08-24.