Grand National: Five moments that stunned Aintree

The Grand National is undoubtedly the biggest horse racing event in the UK, and it is always laden with tension and drama. In April, the horse racing fraternity will have their eyes glued to the screen, while some are lucky enough to make the trip to Aintree to take in the action.

Run over 4 miles and 2 and a half furlongs, the steeplechase race is very much a lottery, as it is rare to see more than half of the 40-strong field complete the full two laps.

Nevertheless, the Grand National still grips the nation, so let’s reflect on five of the most stunning moments that still resonate with us today.

     1.Red Rum completes treble

A true racing behemoth, Red Rum and the Grand National went hand in hand. Red Rum dominated the Aintree centrepiece spectacularly in the 1970s, and he remains the only horse to win the event on three occasions.

Having claimed back-to-back wins with relative ease in 1973, and 1974, it seemed like age wasn’t on his side in 1977. Going off as the joint 9-1 favourite, Red Rum was flying after negotiating Becher’s Brook, and he finished an astonishing 25 lengths clear of closest challenger Churchtown Boy.

     2. Foinavon 100/1 win

 The British love an underdog story. At the Grand National, you do usually get an upset, and there have been some horses that have been long shots to win.

They all have great backstories, including Foinavon, who at 100/1, landed the big prize in 1967. Following in the footsteps of Coughoo, Foinavon defied the odds. After avoiding a big pile-up caused by Popham Down, John Buckingham rode hard, but steady to claim the honours. A truly remarkable day!

  3. Devon Loch slip

 e couldn’t have possibly compiled this list without including Devon Loch. However, for Dick Francis and his ride, the 1956 Grand National will go down as one of the most unfortunate moments in the race’s history.

The Grand National appeared to be in Devon Loch’s grasp as he turned for the home straight. Nothing it seemed was going to stop him until he slipped 50 yards from the end, and he will go down as one of the unluckiest losers.

  4. Tiger Roll’s double joy

 In more recent times, the Grand National has had to enjoy the feats of Tiger Roll. Having come from humble beginnings, Tiger Roll was crowned the Grand National winner in 2018.

A year later, he successfully defended his crown. Going into the race as the 4/1 joint-favourite, Tiger Roll and jockey Davy Russell moved serenely through the usual Aintree chaos to win by three lengths from Magic of Light and Rathvinden.

Tiger Roll’s victory emulated the achievement of a certain Red Rum, and had the 2020 edition of the race not been cancelled, then perhaps he would have pulled off an unprecedented hat-trick of straight wins.

5. AP McCoy ends long wait

 AP McCoy will go down as one of horse racing’s greatest jockeys. Having scooped the sport’s major prizes, the Grand National seemed to elude him.

The Irishman generally was never fancied when the Grand National horse racing tips were published. But in 2010, things changed. After 14 failed attempts, McCoy etched himself into Aintree folklore on board Don’t Push It.

His barren run was ended in front of over 70,000 racegoers, as he galloped to a five-length victory ahead of Black Apalachi.