The 6 most memorable Grand National moments
Features
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Dan Fitch /
02 February 2011 /
Dan Fitch looks at the Grand National moments that no racing fan will ever forget.
The Grand National is the biggest and most famous horse race in the United Kingdom, capturing the attention of racing aficionados, casual punters and the millions for whom the National is the one day a year that they place a bet.
2011 Grand National takes place on 9th April and if we're lucky it might come close to being as exciting as one of the following races. Here are the six most memorable Grand National moments.
6. 1973 - Red Rum pips Crisp
The legendary Red Rum won his first Grand National in 1973, but another horse was equally responsible for making it such a memorable race.
Despite carrying 12 stone, which is a weight that is now forbidden in the National, Crisp just missed out on beating a horse who was carrying a featherweight.
With four fences to go, Crisp looked unbeatable, but as his stamina started to wane, Red Rum came back to pip him by three-quarters of a length.
5. 1993 - Esha Ness wins the race that never was
In 1993 the Grand National was declared void, denying the 50/1 shot Esha Ness and jockey John White a famous victory.
The race was delayed when animal rights protestors got onto the track near the first fence, before a false start when the horses got caught in the starting tape. The same problem saw a second false start occur, but as the recall flag was not waved, 30 of the 39 riders set off.
Seven horses finished the race, despite attempts to halt the racers by officials. The jockeys claimed that they thought that it was animal protesters trying to stop them, as Esha Ness won the race that never was with the second fastest time in Grand National history.
4. 1956 - Devon Loch Collapses
The collapse of the front-runner in the 1956 Grand National was so memorable that the phrase 'Do a Devon Loch' entered popular parlance to describe any instance of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
Having made it over all 30 of the fences and with the winning post just yards away, Devon Loch's legs gave way and the horse belly-flopped onto the turf, allowing ESB to snatch victory.
3. 1967 - Foinavon wins against the odds
When the 100-1 shot Foinavon lined up for the Grand National in 1967, his owner John Kempton thought that he had so slim a chance that he decided to go to Worcester instead.
He might have made the right decision, were it not for a chaotic incident at the 23rd fence, as the riderless Popham Down caused a pile up. Foinavon was so far behind the leading pack that his jockey John Buckingham was able to manoeuvre around the carnage and jump the fence.
A total of 17 runners remounted and set off in pursuit of Foinavon, but none could catch him. Today the 23rd fence in named after the Grand National's most unlikely winner.
2. 1977 - Red Rum makes it three
Having won the National in 1973 and 1974, Red Rum suffered the frustration of finishing second in 1975 and 1976.
The horse finally won a historic Grand National treble in 1977, in a race in which Red Rum cruised to victory. The win ensured Red Rum's place in National history and following the horse's death he was buried at the winning post at Aintree.
1. 1981 - Bob Champion wins on Aldanati
Bob Champion's Grand National victory in 1981 so resembled a Hollywood movie script that they actually made it into a film.
In 1979 aged 31, Champion was told that he had cancer and could only have months to live. After months of chemotherapy, Champion made a recovery and returned to racing, with the dream of winning the Grand National having kept him going through his darkest moments.
It wasn't just the jockey who had to overcome the odds. Aldaniti had recovered from three crippling injuries, making the 1981 Grand National a true example of triumph in adversity.