The Grand National is one of the most famous horse racing events on the calendar and we have produced an extensive Grand National winners list all the way back to 1839!
The race has been held at Aintree Racecourse since the race’s inception in 1839. George Dockeray trained Lottery to National success in the race’s first iteration and would go on to be the joint winning-most trainer in the renewal’s history.
He shares a record of four Grand National winners with Fred Rimell and Ginger McCain, the latter of whom famously trained Red Rum to back-to-back wins in 1973 and 1974. Red Rum also holds the record of being the National’s most victorious horse with three victories.
However, one of the most dramatic and surprising Grand National results came in 1967. Foinavon, whose owner Cyril Watkins had such little hope of his horse winning that he wasn’t even at the course, defied Grand National odds of 100/1 to land the grandest prize of all.
He is only one of five 100/1 winners of the Grand National in its history. The most recent century-odds winner was Mon Mome in 2009 under the guidance of Liam Treadwell.
In 2010, AP McCoy won his one and only Grand National aboard 10/1 joint-favourite Don’t Push It.
A year later and 14/1 shot Ballabriggs claimed Grand National glory for owner Trevor Hemmings, with Jason Maguire in the saddle.
Eleven-year-olds then dominated the Grand National for three years. The Paul Nicholls’-trained Neptune Collonges was the first of the trio in 2012, coming home to victory at 33/1.
But that was nothing compared to Auroras Encore in 2013. The Sue Smith-trained charger delighted backers by romping to glory at a sizeable 66/1!
The 11-year-olds hat-trick concluded with Pineau De Re in 2014, the first of Leighton Aspell’s Grand National double.
Aspell’s second Aintree success came just 12 months later with Many Clouds in 2015. The eight-year-old was the youngest winner of the Grand National since Bindaree in 2002. It was also a third success for owner Trevor Hemmings, and with a time of 8m 56.8s, it was the fastest Grand National since Mr Frisk in 1990.
Rule the World ruled the Grand National in 2016 for Gigginstown House Stud at 33/1, before One For Arthur triumped for trainer Lucinda Russell in 2017.
Tiger Roll then raced into the history books as he became the first horse since Red Rum to win back-to-back renewals of the Grand National, winning in both 2018 and 2019 under the guidance of Davy Russell (pictured above).
The race was not run in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic but more history was made in 2021 when Rachael Blackmore became the first female jockey to be added t0 the Grand National winners list after her success on Minella Times.
With legendary Grand National fences such as Becher’s Brook, The Chair, Valentine’s and the Canal Turn to negotiate, it is unsurprising that George Stevens is the only jockey to have conquered the race on five separate occasions.
