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Grand National results 1970

Admin December 1, 2025 No Comments

On April 4, 1970, a relatively small field of 28 runners lined up for the Grand National. Among them were three previous winners over the Grand National fences, in the form of The Fossa, who had won the Grand Sefton Chase in 1965, Red Alligator, who had won the Grand National itself in 1968 and Dozo, who had won the Topham Chase in 1969. The latter, trained by Toby Balding and ridden by Eddie Harty, was the best-fancied of the trio, being sent off at 100/8 joint second-favourite, and fared best, too, finishing fourth. Red Alligator fell at the eleventh fence, while The Fossa refused at Becher’s Brook on the second circuit.

Just seven horses completed the course, but victory went to Gay Trip, trained by Fred Rimnel and ridden by Pat Taaffe. Gay Trip had won the Mackeson Gold Cup at Newbury the previous November and subsequently run with credit in both the King George VI Chase and the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Consequently, he was saddled with top weight of 11st 5lb in the National, but nonetheless moved smoothly into the lead turning for home and gradually drew further and further clear, with Taaffe afforded the luxury of looking around several times in the closing stages.

Sent off at 15/1, Gay Trip evetually passed the post 20 lengths to the good over his nearest pursuer, the equally well-fancied Vulture, who just held second, by half a length, from 33/1 chance Miss Hunter, with Dozo fourth, a further six lengths away. Thus, the eight-year-old became the third of four Grand National winners for Rimmell – and the best of the quartet, according to his trainer – and a second for Taaffe, who had previous ridden Quare Times 15 years earlier. Taaffe, 40, was the oldest professional jockey riding in the National that year and was, in fact, deputising for the injured Terry Biddlecombe.

Grand National 1986 Results

Admin November 27, 2025 No Comments

Run on April 5, 1986, the 1986 Grand National featured a maximum 40 runners, including the first five home in the 1985 renewal, Last Suspect, Mr. Snugfit, Corbiere, Greasepaint and Classified. Of those familiar faces, Mr. Snugfit, trained by MickEasterby, was widely considered an unlucky loser in 1985 and had subsequently been bought by high-profile gambler Terry Ramsden with the Grand National in mind. He was reportedly subject to a bet of £500,000 from his new owner, which accounted, at least in part, for him being sent off 13/2 favourite, despite a quiet preparation.

Mr. Snugfit was closely attended in the betting by another seemingly-unlucky loser from the 1985 renewal, West Tip, trained by Michael Oliver, who must surely have gone close to winning but for falling at Becher’s Brook on the second circuit. Indeed, jockey Richard Dunwoody requested to be excused from his retainer to ride Port Askaig, trained by Tim Forster, to ride West Tip again. That fact did not go unnoticed by the betting public and the nine-year-old was sent off a well-backed 15/2 second-favourite.

On the prevailing good to soft going, 66/1 outsider Young Driver led over the second-last fence, but was tackled, and passed, on the run-in by West Tip. Indeed, it was not until the last hundred yards or so that Dunwoody reached for his whip and, when he did so, West Tip responded and was always holding his toiling rival. West Tip passed the post two lengths to the good, with a yawning 20-length gap back to the third horse home, Classified, while Mr. Snugfit came from miles back to finish fourth, a further length-and-a-half away.

At the time of his death, aged 24, in July 2001, Dunwoody, who was just 22 when he won his first Grand National, said of West Tip,”He was a tremendous performer and a great jumper who had enough class to finish a close fourth in the [Cheltenham] Gold Cup as well. I will always remember him.”

Grand National 1985 Results

Admin November 27, 2025 No Comments

Run on good to soft going on March 30, 1985, the 1985 Grand National featured a maximum 40 runners, including the first four home in the 1984 renewal, Hallo Dandy, Greasepaint, Corbiere and Lucky Vane. Hallo Dandy, in the hands of Graham Bradley, deputising for the injured Neale Doughty, unseated rider at the very first fence, while Lucky Vane was pulled up at the fence after Valentine’s Brook on the first circuit. The principal hard-luck story, though, involved West Tip, who was sent off joint-favourite, alongside Greasepaint, but fell, when in the lead and travelling well, at Becher’s Brook on the second circuit.

Corbiere and Greasepaint were among the five horses still in with a realistic chance of winning approaching the final fence, but were preceded by Mr. Snugfit, who went clear at the Elbow, halfway up the run-in. However, inside the final hundred yards, the leader started to send out distress signals. As he did so, Hywel Davies managed to summon a tremendous run from Last Suspect, who had only been fourth jumping the final fence, which carried him past Corbiere and the ailing leader in the closing stages, to win by a length and a half.

Owned by Anne Grosvenor, Duchess of Westminster and trained by Tim Forster in Letcombe Bassett, Oxfordshire, Last Suspect had a reputation for mulish behaviour, as he had demonstrated when pulling himself up in his preparatory race for the Grand National, at Warwick. Consequently, at Aintree, with Davies putting up 3lb overweight, the 11-year-old was sent off a largely unconsidered 50/1 chance. Davies later said of him, “He was a careful jumper and had never fallen. He got his blood up the day of the National and just went. I kept him out of traffic on the first circuit and just rode him home on the second circuit.”

Grand National 1984 Results

Admin November 27, 2025 No Comments

The 1984 Grand National, run on March 31, 1984, had the distinction of being the first with a safety limit of 40 runners, which would remain until it was further reduced, to 34 runners, from 2024 onwards. Nevertheless, 23 of the 40 runners completed the course, thereby setting a record that still stands.

On good going, victory went to the well-treated, and well-backed, 10-year-old Hallo Dandy, trained by Gordon W. Richards in Greystoke, near Penrith, Cumbria and ridden by Neale Doughty. In 1983, on soft going, Hallo Dandy had finished fourth behind Corbiere, Greasepaint and Yer Man, beaten a little over 23 lengths, but on better going and revised weight terms, reversed the previous form with all three.

Turning for home, Greasepaint and Hallo Dandy held a clear lead over the ill-fated Earthstopper – who would finish fifth, but collapsed and died shortly afterwards – and it soon became clear they had the race between them. Hallo Dandy took the lead approaching the second-last fence, with Doughty briefly looking around and, although hotly pursued by Greasepaint all the way to the finish line, never really looked like being beaten.

In the closing stages, with the front pair separated by almost the width of the track, and the camera angle foreshortening the distance between them, BBC commentator Sir Peter O’Sullevab exclaimed, “…there’s nothing between them as they come to the line”; Hallo Dandy had, in fact, won by four lengths. The 1983 winner, Corbiere, stayed on well for third place, beaten a further length and a half, with the well-fancied Lucky Vane in fourth, a further two-and-a-half lengths away.

Hallo Dandy was put down on veterinary advice in January 2007, at which point Nicky Richards, son of Gordon, said, “He [Hallo Dandy] was probably one of the last proper, old-fashioned staying chasers who won the National. At the age of 33, Hallo Dandy had been the oldest surviving winner of the Grand National.