1996 Grand National – Full Finishing Results
Date: 6 April 1996
Course: Aintree Racecourse
Going: Good to Soft
Distance: 4 miles 4 furlongs 856 yards
Runners: 27
Finishers: 17
Winning Time: 9 minutes 29.9 seconds
| Position | Horse | Jockey | Trainer | Owner | Age | Weight | SP | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Rough Quest | Mick Fitzgerald | Terry Casey | Andrew Wates | 10 | 10-07 | 7/1 | Won by 1¼ lengths |
| 2nd | Encore Un Peu (FR) | Jamie Osborne | Patrick Chamings | P. R. O’Brien | 9 | 10-03 | 14/1 | 1¼ lengths behind |
| 3rd | Superior Finish | Philip Robinson | G. Harwood | A. J. Harwood | 11 | 10-00 | 100/1 | 4 lengths behind |
| 4th | Young Hustler | David Bridgwater | David Nicholson | J. C. Harris | 10 | 11-01 | 12/1 | 2 lengths behind |
| 5th | General Chandler | Simon McNeill | T. J. Bill | T. J. Bill | 10 | 10-00 | 100/1 | 2½ lengths behind |
| 6th | Rust Never Sleeps | Peter Niven | Mary Reveley | H. Jones | 9 | 10-00 | 40/1 | 3 lengths behind |
| 7th | Ebony Jane | Liam Cusack | Peter McCreery | Mrs. Anne Butler | 11 | 10-00 | 33/1 | 5 lengths behind |
| 8th | Avro Anson | Norman Williamson | Charlie Brooks | Michael O’Leary | 9 | 10-00 | 20/1 | 1½ lengths behind |
| 9th | Rince Ri | Barry Fenton | Pat Hughes | D. L. Smith | 8 | 10-00 | 50/1 | 4 lengths behind |
| 10th | Lo Stregone | Jamie Osborne | Josh Gifford | Mrs. M. Gifford | 11 | 10-01 | 33/1 | 2 lengths behind |
| 11th | Double Thriller | Richard Johnson | David Nicholson | T. J. Price | 9 | 10-00 | 16/1 | 3 lengths behind |
| 12th | Distinguished | Chris Maude | John Edwards | M. L. James | 10 | 10-00 | 66/1 | 1 length behind |
| 13th | Greenhill Raffles | Brendan Sheridan | Pat Hughes | P. Daly | 9 | 10-00 | 100/1 | 1½ lengths behind |
| 14th | Deep Bramble | Francis Woods | Arthur Moore | J. Cullen | 12 | 10-07 | 20/1 | 2 lengths behind |
| 15th | Brackenfield | Peter Scudamore | Nigel Twiston-Davies | The Summit Partnership | 8 | 10-03 | 33/1 | 1 length behind |
| 16th | Deep Water | Adrian Maguire | Jimmy Fitzgerald | D. Thompson | 10 | 10-04 | 40/1 | 1½ lengths behind |
| 17th | Romany King | Richard Guest | Martin Pipe | M. Pipe | 12 | 10-00 | 66/1 | Last finisher |
Race Summary
- Winner: Rough Quest (trained by Terry Casey, ridden by Mick Fitzgerald)
- Winning Margin: 1¼ lengths over Encore Un Peu
- Favourite: Rough Quest (7/1) – won
- Prize for 1st Place: £189,180
Red Rum, the only horse to win the Grand National three times, died on October 18, 1995, and was duly buried at the finishing line at Aintree with his head facing the winning post. His final resting place was chosen such that, when the Grand National winner crosses the line, the sun casts a shdow over his graze. On the first occasion since his burial, on March 30, 1996, said shadow was cast by the 7/1 favourite, Rough Quest, trained by Terry Casey and ridden by Mick Fitzgerald.
Fresh from a second-placed finish in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, behind Imperial Call, just over two weeks previously, Rough Quest moved into fourth place, travelling notably well, crossing the Melling Road for the final time. Encore En Peu, trained by Martin Pipe and ridden by David Bridgwater, still led by four lengths at the final fence, but Fitzgerald delayed his challenge until passing the elbow, switching to the outside and soon taking the measure of his toiling rival.
Having hit the front, Rough Quest hung left, causing Bridgwater to momentarily stop riding, which attracted the attention of the stewards. At the line, Rough Quest was just a length-and-a-quarter ahead, but well on top and, following the subsequent stewards’ enquiry, the result was allowed to stand. The well-fancied Superior Finish, trained by Jenny Pitman and ridden by Richard Dunwoody, stayed on well on the run-in to finish third, albeit 16 lengths behind Encore En Peu, and just held that position by a short-head from Sir Peter Lely, who was, in turn, just three-quarters of a length of the fifth horse home, Young Hustler.
On going officially described as “good”, the winning time, of 9 minutes and 0.80 seconds, was 9.20 seconds faster than the Racing Post standard time and remains the third-fastest in the history of the Grand National.