Year

Grand National 1989 Results

Admin November 26, 2025 No Comments

Run on heavy going, on April 8, 1989, the 1989 Grand National featured a maximum 40 runners, including Dixton House, trained by John Edwards, who had won the Ritz Club National Hunt Handicap Chase at the Cheltenham Festival on his previous start and was sent off 7/1 favourite. However, the market-leader parted with jockey Tom Morgan at Becher’s Brook on the first circuit and the result of the race was overshadowed by fatal injuries suffered by two other horses at the same fence.Seeandem and Brown Trix were humanely euthanised after an incident that resulted in widespread criticism of the BBC, for its coverage and insensitive commentary, and further safety changes, including levelling the landing side of the fence and filling in Becher’s Brook itself.

In a strange twist of irony, victory went to the 12-year-old Little Polveir who, until six weeks previously, had been trained by John Edwards, but had been transferred to Toby Balding after being bought by Edward Harvey for his son, David, in the Grand Military Gold Cup at Sandown Park in March. Having unseated the aforementioned Tom Morgan at the fourth-last fence in the 1988 Grand National, when in the lead, Little Polveir was widely considered past his best, but nonetheless made his fourth appearance in the world-famous steeplechase a winning one.

Ridden by Jimmy Frost – father of Bryony – and sent off at 28/1, Little Polveir led over the water jump at the end of the first circuit and, ultimately, ran on well on the run-in to beat the 1986 winner, West Tip, also a 12-year-old, by seven lengths. The 1987 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner, The Thinker, finished a running-on third, a further half a length away and, all told, 14 of the 40 starters completed the course. Jimmy Frost said later, “It was a day that changed my life, an unexpected one at that.”

Grand National 1988 Results

Admin November 26, 2025 No Comments

The 1988 Grand National, run on good to soft going on April 9, 1988, was an eventful affair, in which just nine of the maximum 40 starters completed the course. The favourite, Sacred Path, trained by Oliver Sherwood and ridden by Clive Cox, fell at the very first fence and the eventual winner, Rhyme ‘N’ Reason, the joint-second favourite, was down on his haunches after a monumental blunder at Becher’s Brook on the first circuit, forcing jockey Brendan Powell Snr. To make a remarkable recovery.

Granted time to recover, Rhyme ‘N’ Reason made steady headway from the rear of the field late on the second circuit and, when Little Polveir blundered and unseated rider at the fifth-last fence, was left in the lead. At the second-last, he was headed by strong-travelling Durham Edition, but rallied approaching the Elbow, halfway up the run-in, lead again inside the final hundred yards and galloped on resolutely to win by four lengths. Durham Edition finished clear second, 15 lengths ahead of Monanore, who could only stay on at one pace in the closing stages, in third, and a further eight lengths ahead of West Tip, in fourth place.

Fortunate he may have been, but few would argue that Rhyme ‘N’ Reason was a worthy winner of the Grand National. He had won the Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse in 1986 as a six-year-old and, notwithstanding a fall in the Cheltenham Gold Cup three weeks previously, had won four of his last six completed starts over fences, including the Racing Post Chase (now the Coral Trophy) at Kempton Park in January. Reflecting on the way the race panned out, Powell said, “The thing about Rhyme ‘N’ Reason was you didn’t want to be in front on him for too long. I was getting a lovely lead into the race from Little Polveir and then he came down so I was left in front way too soon.”

Grand National 1981 Results

Admin November 26, 2025 No Comments

The 1981 Grand National, run on good going on April 4, 1981, produced a fairytale finish that was immortalised in the 1982 book, ‘Champion’s Story: A Great Human Triumph’, co-written by winning jockey Bob Champion, and the subject film adaptation, ‘Champions’, starring John Hurt as Champion. Champion was stable jockey to Josh Gifford at Findon, Sussex, but was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1979, leading to surgery, chemotherapy and hospitalisation. However, he recovered sufficiently to take the ride on Aldaniti, trained by Gifford, in the Grand National and the rest, as they say, is history.

Aldaniti, for his part, was a talented, but fragile, steeplechaser, who had previously finished third in the Cheltenham Gold Cup and second in the Scottish Grand National, but had broken down more than once in a career plagued by injury. Nevertheless, as an 11-year-old, he and Champion reunited to win the Whitbread Trial Chase at Ascot in February 1981 and, consequently, he was sent off 10/1 second-favourite for the Grand National, behind only 8/1 favourite Spartan Missile.

Indeed, it would be the market leaders who went on to dominate the finish, although the race did not go entirely to plan for Champion and Aldaniti. Champion had been instructed to hold Aldaniti up until the final fence but, after a dream run around the Canal Turn, the pair were already among the leaders and, two fences later, Aldaniti leapt into the lead. Thereafter, he made most of the running and passed the post four lengths ahead of his nearest pursuer, Spartan Missile.

The latter, ridden by 54-year-old amateur John Thorne, finished well, but effectively go going too late and was never quite reaching Aldaniti. A similar comment applies to Royal Mail (not to be confused with the 1937 Grand National winner, of the same name), who finished third, a further two lengths away.

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.