Events / Malcolm Pannett / 25 February 2009 /

This Doncaster race has a long and varied history but is now a prime stop on the road to Aintree, say Malcolm Pannett and Philip Alstead.

The Grimthorpe Chase, run at Doncaster, has had a varied and intermittent history. Some years it dipped out of the programme book completely while at other times the distance of the race has been radically altered. However in the spirit of Charles Darwin, whose The Origin of Species is currently celebrating its 150th anniversary, the Grimthorpe which may once have been teetering on the edge of extinction has adapted to suit prevailing conditions evolving into a leading Grand National trial.

The eponymous Grimthorpe family have been involved in racing for many years. Ralph Beckett, the third Baron Grimthorpe owned Fragrant Mac, who won the 1952 Scottish Grand National, as well as Fortina who was victorious in the 1947 Cheltenham Gold Cup. Fortina went on to sire Fort Leney and Glencaraig Lady who emulated his feat at Prestbury Park. Christopher Beckett, the fourth Baron, was a member of the Jockey Club and a director of Thirsk Racecourse

The current Lord Grimthorpe, Teddy Beckett, is racing manager to Khalid Abdullah. While his cousin Ralph Beckett trained his first classic winner last year when 33-1 shot Look Here won the Oaks which is sponsored by Khalid Abdullah's breeding arm Juddmonte.

Prior to the early 1980s the Grimthorpe was run over two miles and 150 yards, taking place on the same card as the Rossington Main Hurdle. The distance was then upped dramatically nearly doubling to a stamina testing four miles and 100 yards.

The 1987 renewal, over the longer trip, included the winners of the last three Scottish Nationals in the form of dual-winner Androma and Hardy Lad. The latter won the race however third-placed Little Polveir went on to win at Ayr, reversing the placings with Hardy Lad, and followed up two years later in the Grand National.

The distance was changed again to the current trip of three and a quarter miles in the 1990s when it was run as the Velka Pardubicka Grimthorpe Chase. This provided a tie-in with the famous race run in the Czech Republic (previously Bohemia) which is an exacting challenge over varied obstacles, including sections over ploughed fields. The Velka Parubicka course was based on the Grand National course of the 1880s inspired by the Aintree success of Bohemia-born Count Kinsky on his own Zoedene.

In the 2004 Grimthorpe Amberleigh House finished fifth to Grey Abbey (see below) then from an unpromising position found a tremendous finishing burst to collar Clan Royal in the closing stages of the Grand National to provide a fourth success for trainer Ginger McCain after Red Rum's three wins.

Run For Paddy won in 2005 beating Lou Du Moulin Mas by a short head after a ding dong battle on the run-in. A year later, now trained and ridden by Carl Llewellyn, he added the Scottish National to his tally getting up on the line to deprive Ladalko.

In 2006 the race was due to be run at Lingfield while Doncaster was being redeveloped but fell foul of bad weather and was abandoned. The next year the same fate befell a scheduled running at Southwell. The Grimthorpe is currently sponsored by Coolfun Ltd. who run entertainment venues.

10 years ago: Abandoned

Five years ago: Howard Johnson's front-runner Grey Abbey hit two of the first four fences before finding some sort of equilibrium. Even so the game looked up when the favourite, Rodalko, overtook the 10-year-old six fences from home. Grey Abbey though was not the sort of trail blazer that capitulates tamely and he rallied gamely staying on well to win by 10 lengths from Royal Auclair. Amberleigh House finished a distant fifth before going on to win that season's Grand National. Grey Abbey went on to capture the Scottish National on his next outing winning by a distance once Granit D'Estruval had departed at the last obstacle.

Last Year: Favourite Mr Pointment set off in front but after a series of jumping errors he was passed by Lankawi in the straight. However Jason Maguire on Cloudy Lane, the ante-post favourite for the Grand National, had been making steady progress and the partnership swept by to lead two out winning by seven lengths with Ungaro and Alderburn running on to fill the frame. Cloudy Lane was eventually sent off joint-favourite for the Grand National finishing sixth behind the other market leader Comply Or Die.

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