In the early 1800s, William Lynn, a hotel owner in
Liverpool, created the Aintree racecourse and the spectacular steeplechase
event, The Grand National. When William Lynn established a flat racing course
in Aintree, he had no idea it would become the home of the Grand National - the most famous steeplechase event today. In the early 1800s, William Lynn, the
owner of the Waterloo Hotel in Liverpool's Ranelagh Street, was a man of good
reputation and somewhat of an entrepreneur. After sponsoring various successful
sporting events, Lynn turned his attention to horse racing.
 |
The former Waterloo Hotel in Ranalagh Street with Bold
Street to the right
a former mansion house it was once the home of Jonas Bolds
business partner
it was demolished to build Central Station
|
In 1829, Lynn approached William Philip Molyneux, a
gentleman holding the title of Lord Sefton, about leasing land at Aintree to
stage flat racing events. Lord Sefton, a racing enthusiast himself, agreed to
the lease the acreage. Lynn made plans to build a grandstand, and on Feb. 7,
1829, Lord Sefton laid the first foundation stone, also placing a container of
sovereigns inside the footings.
The first meeting at Aintree racecourse was on July 7, 1829.
The opening race was the Croxteth Stakes, ran over 1 ¼ miles, and won by Mufti.
With the strong financial support and ardent backing from the Jockey Club
racing committee, Lord Sefton and a few Aintree syndicate members, the
racecourse prospered.
Hurdle Racing at Aintree Racecourse 1835
In 1835, Lynn experimented with hurdle racing, setting aside
his October venue as an exclusive hurdling fixture. The event was a complete
success, especially when celebrated rider Captain Martin Becher arrived to take
part and rode the impressive hurdler Vivian to two successes.
It is rumoured that Becher engaged Lynn in a conversation about
the Great St. Albans Steeplechase, a four-mile race from point-to-point, across
country and back again. Lynn was fascinated by the event, and with the help of
Becher, set about bringing a grand steeplechase event to Aintree.
Aintree 1836 - The Liverpool Grand Steeplechase
On Feb. 29, 1836, Lynn hosted the Liverpool Grand
Steeplechase. The race attracted 10 runners with the following racing
conditions: all horses carry 12 stone, gentlemen riders only and the winner
sold for 200 sovereigns, if demanded.
Mr Edward William Topham, a respected handicapper, was
responsible for turning the Grand National into a handicap in 1843 after it had
been a weight-for-age race for the first four years. The Topham family owned
substantial tracts of land around Aintree and in 1949 they bought the course
outright from Lord Sefton, from whom the land had previously been leased since
the racecourse opening in 1829.
The Grand National has produced a colourful array of stories
throughout its illustrious past.
Mirabel Topham, the ex-Gaiety Girl, who shaped Aintree
One of the great character's of Aintree, Mirabel Topham who
died 30 years ago, is still remembered as one of the Grand National legends. A
former Gaiety Girl, she ran Aintree during some of the course's most difficult
years. Speaking to BBC Radio Merseyside in 1971, at the age of 77, she
described her love for the race.
"It's unique and it has held its own as being the
stiffest and best test for horse and rider." Even in the mid 1970's
Mirabel Topham saw the race as something that stood out in the modern world,
"What I would like to keep about Aintree is the uniqueness of the
race," she said. "It's something different and in these days of
standardisation I think it's rather nice to be something different.
"All the jockeys who have been over Aintree are all
very proud if they've even got round, never mind won the race, that's something
you can only hear the best talk about."
She had been described as 'the greatest dictator in British
racing' but insisted she merely wanted to work her hardest and try her best. "I
don't know if that's a compliment or an insult," she said, "I think
the sport has needed a dictator, in my small way I've tried to put wrongs
right. "I think most of my staff will tell you that they get a kick or a
pat on the back and they're both really well merited. "I'm not really vicious at all, in fact I think
sometimes I'm a bit over sympathetic, but that doesn't do if you're a woman on
your own."In 1949 the Topham family bought the racecourse from Lord Sefton
and Mirabel Topham was appointed to take over it's management. Amongst the
initiatives brought in by Mirabel Topham was the construction of a motor racing
track within the course. Work began in 1954, the track hosted a European Grand
Prix and five British Grand Prix. Stirling Moss won his first British Grand
Prix at the course 0n 16th July 1955 and was victorious again in 1957 and 1959.
 |
| 1955...Stirling Moss won the British Grand Prix at Aintree |
The last British Grand Prix to be held at Aintree was in
1962. One of her first battles was with bookmakers over charges for information
from the course, "I thought that everyone should pay for their raw
material," she explained in 1971.
Red Rum
It was nearly 40 years ago now that Red Rum recorded the
first of the three victories in the Grand National that earned him pride of
place in the record books forever. He still remains the only horse to have won
the Grand National three times and, as that statistic suggests, the great horse
was a phenomenon. Bred to be a sprinter, Red Rum went on to win the gruelling
four-and-a-half mile chase in 1973, 1974 and 1977, as well as finishing second
on his other two starts, to become the greatest Grand National performer ever.
All of this was achieved after overcoming the debilitating bone disease
pedalosteitis, which should have rendered him unraceable. However, fate stepped
in: Red Rum was at probably the only yard in the country where the training
took place on a beach. The sea water, into which trainer Donald ‘Ginger’ McCain
banished Red Rum after viewing the hobbling horse, worked an amazing
transformation. On 31 March, 1973, he started 9/1 favourite for his first Grand
National. However, by the time the runners had reached the Chair the giant
Australian chaser, Crisp, who was shouldering top weight of 12st (a weight that
is now forbidden in the National), had built up a massive lead and appeared
unstoppable with four fences to go. But, conceding 23lb to Red Rum, his stamina
started to wane and he slowly began to falter at the famous Elbow after being
more than 15 lengths in front of his rival at the last. Red Rum wore Crisp
down, getting up on the line to beat him by three-quarters of a length in a
then record time of 9 min 1.9 sec, knocking nearly 20 seconds off Golden
Miller's previous best under 12st 2lb in 1934 - this new record would stand for
the next 16 years. You can watch this incredible finish to the 1973 National
here:
Red Rum wins the 1973 Grand National
Full Race
Below is a full list of all the Grand National Winners from
1950 to 2012 in reverse order:
The 150th running of the race in 1997 was another bizarre
story when a bomb scare meant that the course had to be evacuated and the race
postponed until the Monday, to allow the course to be searched. The winner on
this famous occasion was Lord Gyllene.
Year
|
Horse
|
Age
|
Wgt
|
Trainer
|
Jockey
|
SP
|
2012
2011
|
Neptune Collonges
Ballabriggs
|
10
|
11-00
|
P Nicholls
D McCain
|
D Jacobs
J Maguire
|
33/1
14/1
|
2010
|
Don’t Push It
|
10
|
11-05
|
J O’Neill
|
AP McCoy
|
10/1JF
|
2009
|
Mon Mome
|
9
|
11-00
|
Miss V Williams
|
L Treadwell
|
100/1
|
2008
|
Comply Or Die
|
9
|
10-09
|
D E Pipe
|
T Murphy
|
7/1JF
|
2007
|
Silver Birch
|
10
|
10-06
|
G Elliott
|
R M Power
|
33/1
|
2006
|
Numbersixvalverde
|
10
|
10-08
|
M Brassil
|
N P Madden
|
11/1
|
2005
|
Hedgehunter
|
9
|
11-01
|
W P Mullins
|
R Walsh
|
7/1F
|
2004
|
Amberleigh House
|
12
|
10-10
|
D McCain
|
G Lee
|
16/1
|
2003
|
Monty´s Pass
|
10
|
10-07
|
JJ Mangan
|
B J Geraghty
|
16/1
|
2002
|
Bindaree
|
8
|
10-04
|
N A Twiston-Davies
|
J Culloty
|
20/1
|
2001
|
Red Marauder
|
11
|
10-11
|
N B Mason
|
Richard Guest
|
33/1
|
2000
|
Papillon
|
9
|
10-12
|
T M Walsh
|
R Walsh
|
10/1
|
1999
|
Bobbyjo
|
9
|
10-00
|
T Carberry
|
P Carberry
|
10/1
|
1998
|
Earth Summit
|
10
|
10-05
|
N A Twiston-Davies
|
C Llewellyn
|
7/1F
|
1997
|
Lord Gyllene
|
9
|
10-00
|
S A Brookshaw
|
A Dobbin
|
14/1
|
1996
|
Rough Quest
|
10
|
10-07
|
T Casey
|
M A Fitzgerald
|
7/1F
|
1995
|
Royal Athlete
|
12
|
10-06
|
Mrs J Pitman
|
J F Titley
|
40/1
|
1994
|
Miinnehoma
|
11
|
10-08
|
M C Pipe
|
R Dunwoody
|
16/1
|
1992
|
Party Politics
|
8
|
10-07
|
N A Gaselee
|
C Llewellyn
|
14/1
|
1991
|
Seagram
|
11
|
10-06
|
D H Barons
|
N Hawke
|
12/1
|
1990
|
Mr Frisk
|
11
|
10-06
|
K C Bailey
|
Mr M Armytage
|
16/1
|
1989
|
Little Polveir
|
12
|
10-03
|
G B Balding
|
J Frost
|
28/1
|
1988
|
Rhyme ´N´ Reason
|
9
|
11-00
|
D R C Elsworth
|
B Powell
|
10/1
|
1987
|
Maori Venture
|
11
|
10-13
|
A Turnell
|
S Knight
|
28/1
|
1986
|
West Tip
|
9
|
10-11
|
M Oliver
|
R Dunwoody
|
15/2
|
1985
|
Last Suspect
|
11
|
10-05
|
T Forster
|
H Davies
|
50/1
|
1984
|
Hallo Dandy
|
10
|
10-02
|
G Richards
|
N Doughty
|
13/1
|
1983
|
Corbiere
|
8
|
11-04
|
Mrs J Pitman
|
B de Haan
|
13/1
|
1982
|
Grittar
|
9
|
11-05
|
F Gilman
|
Mr R Saunders
|
7/1F
|
1981
|
Aldaniti
|
11
|
10-13
|
J Gifford
|
R Champion
|
10/1
|
1980
|
Ben Nevis
|
12
|
10-12
|
T Forster
|
Mr C Fenwick
|
40/1
|
1979
|
Rubstic
|
10
|
10-00
|
S J Leadbetter
|
M Barnes
|
25/1
|
1978
|
Lucius
|
9
|
10-09
|
G W Richards
|
B R Davies
|
14/1
|
1977
|
Red Rum
|
12
|
11-08
|
D McCain
|
T Stack
|
9/1
|
1976
|
Rag Trade
|
10
|
10-12
|
T F Rimell
|
J Burke
|
14/1
|
1975
|
L’Escargot
|
12
|
11-03
|
D Moore
|
T Carberry
|
13/2
|
1974
|
Red Rum
|
9
|
12-00
|
D McCain
|
B Fletcher
|
11/1
|
1973
|
Red Rum
|
8
|
10-05
|
D McCain
|
B Fletcher
|
9/1
|
1972
|
Well To Do
|
9
|
10-01
|
Capt. T A Forster
|
G Thorner
|
14/1
|
1971
|
Specify
|
9
|
10-13
|
J Sutcliffe
|
J Cook
|
28/1
|
1970
|
Gay Trip
|
8
|
11-05
|
T F Rimell
|
P Taaffe
|
15/1
|
1969
|
Highland Wedding
|
12
|
10-04
|
T Balding
|
E Harty
|
100/9
|
1968
|
Red Alligator
|
9
|
10-0
|
D Smith
|
B Fletcher
|
100/7
|
1967
|
Foinavon
|
9
|
10-0
|
J Kempton
|
J Buckingham
|
100/1
|
1966
|
Anglo
|
8
|
10-0
|
F Winter
|
T Norman
|
50/1
|
1965
|
Jay Trump
|
8
|
11-05
|
F Winter
|
T Smith
|
100/6
|
1964
|
Team Spirit
|
12
|
10-03
|
F Walwyn
|
W Robinson
|
18/1
|
1963
|
Ayala
|
9
|
10-00
|
K Piggott
|
P Buckley
|
66/1
|
1962
|
Kilmore
|
12
|
10-04
|
R Price
|
F Winter
|
28/1
|
1961
|
Nicolaus Silver
|
9
|
10-01
|
F Rimell
|
B Beasley
|
28/1
|
1960
|
Merryman II
|
9
|
10-12
|
N Crump
|
G Scott
|
13/2F
|
1959
|
Oxo
|
8
|
10-13
|
M Scudamore
|
W Stephenson
|
8/1
|
1958
|
Mr. What
|
8
|
10-06
|
T Taaffe, Sr.
|
A Freeman
|
18/1
|
1957
|
Sundew
|
11
|
11-07
|
F Hudson
|
F Winter
|
20/1
|
1956
|
ESB
|
10
|
11-03
|
F Rimell
|
D Dick
|
100/7
|
1955
|
Quare Times
|
9
|
11-00
|
V O’Brien
|
P Taaffe
|
100/9
|
1954
|
Royal Tan
|
10
|
11-07
|
V O’Brien
|
B Marshall
|
8/1
|
1953
|
Early Mist
|
8
|
11-02
|
V O’Brien
|
B Marshall
|
20/1
|
1952
|
Teal
|
10
|
10-12
|
N Crump
|
A Thompson
|
100/7
|
1951
|
Nickel Coin
|
9
|
10-01
|
J O’Donoghue
|
J Bullock
|
40/1
|
1950
|
Freebooter
|
9
|
11-11
|
B Renton
|
J Power
|
10/1
|
Robert F Edwards
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