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1990 Grand National Result

Admin October 25, 2025 No Comments

1990 Grand National – Saturday 7th April 1990

Finishing Order

Non-Finishers

Since 2012, the Grand National Course at Aintree has been routinely watered to maintain the going on the soft side of good, but the 1990 renewal was run on going officially described as “firm”, resulting in a record winning time that could, conceivably, stand for all time. Mr. Frisk, one of the few steeplechasers to relish rattling fast conditions, came home in a a time of 8 minutes and 47.80 seconds, fully 14.10 seconds faster than the previous record, set by the legendary Red Rum, on “good to firm” going, in the famous renewal of 1973.

Trained by Kim Bailey and ridden by amateur Marcus Armytage, Mr. Frisk was sent off a 16/1 chance, having finished a creditable, albeit one-paced, fourth in the Kim Muir Challenge Cup at the Cheltenham Festival on his previous outing. At Aintree, he was always prominent and took the lead when Uncle Merlin, ridden by Hywel Davies, stumbled and unseated rider at Becher’s Brook on the second circuit. A frustrated Davies said afterwards, “There is no doubt Uncle Merlin would have won but for the fall at Becher’s.”

In any event, Mr. Frisk thereafter made the best of his way home and, although challenged by the luckless Durham Edition (who had also finished second to Rhyme ‘N’ Reason in the 1988 renewal) from the final fence, held on well on the famously long run-in to win by threequarters of a length. On the advice of his trainer father, Roddy, Armytage did not reach for his whip in the closing stages, but nonetheless conjured every last kilojoule out of the 11-year-old. Durham Edition, a 12-year-old, could not quicken towards the finish, but passed post 20 lengths ahead of the third horse home, Rinus, who was, in turn, 12 lengths in advance of the favourite, Brown Windsor, in fourth place.

1991 Grand National Result

Admin October 25, 2025 No Comments

1991 Grand National – Saturday 6th April 1991

Finishing Order

Run on good to soft going, on April 6, 1991, the 1991 Grand National featured a then-maximum 40 runners, including the first three home from the 1990 renewal, Mr. Frisk, Durham Edition and Rinus. Favourite, though, was Bonanza Boy, trained by Martin Pipe and ridden by Peter Scudamore, who could race off the same handicap mark as when winning the Midlands Grand National at Uttoxeter, by 20 lengths, unchallenged, three weeks beforehand.

As it happened, Bonanza Boy was soon outpaced and well behind, and, while he made headway under pressure over the last half a dozen fences, a well-beaten sixth, 38 lengths behind the winner, was the best he could manage. That winner was Seagram, trained by David Barons and ridden by Nigel Hawke, who had already beaten Bonanza Boy by three lengths at Cheltenham on New Year’s Day, but was 8lb worse off at Aintree and hence closely handicapped with the favourite.

Seagram fared by far the better of the pair on this occasion, although halfway up the run-in it appeared that he may play second fiddle to the Cheltenham Gold Cup winner, Garrison Savannah, who was attempting to become the first horse since the legendary Golden Miller to win both premier steeplechases in Britain in the same season. Trained by Jenny Pitman and ridden by her son, Mark, Garrison Savannah weakened in the last hundred yards or so, allowing Seagram to surge past and win by five lengths. Two 50/1 outsiders, Auntie Dot and Over The Road, filled third and fourth places, beaten eight lengths and 25 lengths by the winner, respectively.

Later reflecting on winning the Grand National at his first attempt, Hawke said, “It just all happened so quickly with Seagram that I couldn’t really appreciate it. You never catch up with yourself. I wouldn’t mind trying it again.”

1992 Grand National Result

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1992 Grand National – Saturday 4th April 1992

Finishing Order

The 1992 Grand National was run, on good to soft going, on April 4, just five days before the general election that year and produced a topical winner, in the form of Party Politics, trained by Nick Gaselee and ridden by Carl Llewellyn. Incidentally, it was also the last time that the late Julian Wilson commentated for the BBC on the world-famous steeplechase.

A distant second, behind Carvhill’s Hill, when well-fancied for the Welsh Grand National at Chepstow the previous December, Party Politics had been beaten on both starts since, but was always prominent at Aintree. He took the lead from the eventual second, Romany King, at the fourth-last fence and ran on well on the run-in to win by two-and-a-half lengths. Laura’s Beau stayed on well from the final fence to finish a never-nearer third, a further 12 lengths away, while the favourite, Docklands Express, could find no extra in the closing stages and finish fourth, eight lengths further back.

A maximum 40 runners went to post, of which 22 completed the course without mishap. Those that did not, though, included the marginal second-favourite, Brown Windsor, who fell at Becher’s Brook on the first circuit and the 1991 winner, Seagram, who was always struggling to keep up and was pulled up, when tailed off, before the third-last fence.

An imposing individual, who stood nearly 18 hands high, Party Politics was reportedly bought by owner David Thompson for £80,000 48 hours before the Grand National, but his share of the £99,943.20 winning prize money offset at least some of that purchase price. Party Politics ran in the Grand National three more times, including the infamous debacle that became known as ‘The Race That Never Was’ in 1993; in more ‘orthodox’ times, he finished second behind Royal Athlete in 1995 and fell at the third fence in what proved to the final race of his career in 1996.

1993 Grand National Result

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Saturday, April 3, 1993 was a red-letter day in the history of the Grand National for all the wrong reasons. A disastrous sequence of events began when animal rights protesters invaded Aintree Racecourse, close to the first of the National fences, such that the start of the race was delayed. When the runners did eventually line up, problems with the starting tape caused not one, but two, false starts to be called. Crucially, after calling the second false start, starter Keith Brown waved, but did not unfurl, his red flag, such that it went unnoticed by the recall man, Ken Evans, positioned further down the track, and he took no action to stop the race.

Consequently, 30 of the 39 jockeys set off, oblivious to the fact that the second false start had been called, and continued to race, despite the best efforts of all and sundry to bring the race to a halt. Amid shambolic scenes, in what BBC commentator Sir Peter O’Sullevan described as “one of the greatest disasters in the history of the National”, seven horses – Esha Ness, Cahervillahow, Romany King, The Committee, Givus A Buck, On The Other Hand and Laura’s Beau – completed the course in “the race that surely never was”.

The immediate reaction of “winning” jockey, John White, spoke volumes about the farce that had ensued. He said later, “I could see there were only a few horses around, but I thought the others had fallen or something.” Likewise, “winning” trainer Jenny Pitman was reduced to tears, saying, “This is no Grand National, even though I have won it.” With nine jockeys still waiting at the start, the Jockey Club had little option to declare the Grand National ‘void’, for the first time in its history, forcing bookmakers to refund an estimated £75 million in stake money.