Category: Grand National

As far as the Grand National is concerned, Venetia Williams is best known for saddling 100/1 outsider Mon Mome to victory in 2009, making her just the second woman, after the ‘Queen of Aintree’, Jenny Pitman, to train the winner of the celebrated steeplechase. However, 21 years earlier, as a promising amateur rider with ten winners to her name, Williams did ride in the Grand National for the one and only time.

On April 9, 1988, Williams lined up on the 200/1 rank outsider Marcolo, trained by the late Peter Ransom, but parted company with her mount at the sixth fence, the infamous Becher’s Brook, and was knocked unconscious in the process. Williams was detained in hospital with a whiplash injury but, two weeks later, was deemed fit enough to return to the saddle.

However, in her very first ride back after Aintree, Williams suffered what turned out to be a much more serious fall in a novice hurdle at Worcester, which effectively ended her career. She landed head first and suffered a so-called ‘hangman’s fracture’ to her second cervical vertebra, which forms a ring around the spinal cord. Any displacement, or movement, of the fractured bone can cause damage to the spinal cord, resulting in paralysis or even death. Thankfully, in Williams’ case the fracture remained stable but, by her own admission, she was ‘very lucky, lucky not to have died.’ She nevertheless spent two months in traction.

The race conditions for the Grand National, including the maximum weight to be carried, have changed numerous times down the years. For example, in 1956, the maximum weight to be carried was lowered from 12st 7lb to 12st 0lb and, despite being lowered twice more, to 11st 12lb in 2002 and 11st 10lb in 2009, the legendary Red Rum remains the last horse to win the Grand National under top weight. ‘Rummy’, as he was affectionately known, made light of 12st 0lb when beating L’Escargot by 7 lengths in 1974.

However, prior to 1956, four horses carried the previous top weight of 12st 7lb to victory in the Grand National. In chronological order, they were Cloister (1893), Manifesto (1899), Jerry M (1912) and Poethlyn (1919) and, collectively, they hold the record for the heaviest weight carried by a National winner. Spare a thought, though, for the inaugural Grand National winner, Lottery who, in the days before the National became a handicap, carried 12st 0lb to a 3-length victory in 1839, albeit in the slowest time ever recorded.

A faller at the dry stone wall, again under 12st 0lb, in 1840, Lottery tried again, as an 11-year-old, in 1841. Remarkably, despite being penalised 18lb for winning the National Hunt Steeplechase at Cheltenham the previous year, which took his overall weight to an eyewatering 13st 4lb, he was sent off 5/2 favourite. Less remarkably, he was pulled up at Becher’s Brook on the second circuit.

The short answer is no, it can’t. In recent years, in the interests of safety, the eligibility criteria for horses wishing to run in the Grand National have become increasingly stringent. To qualify, a horse must be at least seven years old and, prior to entries closing, in February, must have achieved an official rating of 125, according to the team of handicappers at the British Horseracing Authority (BHA). Horses that have not yet qualified for a handicap rating by the closing date can also be entered, by will only be eligible to run if, in the eyes of the handicappers, there racecourse performances merit an official rating of 125 or more.

Furthermore, prior to the closing date, horses must have run in at least six steeplechases at meetings organised by a recognised racing authority during their careers. They must have finished in the first four in any such steeplechase over an advertised distance of 2 miles 7½ furlongs, or further, at least once. In the current season, prior to the second scratchings deadline, in March, horses must have started, but not necessarily finished, at least one steeplechase.

Of course, even if a horse meets all the eligibility criteria, it may not be guaranteed to run in the Grand National. The safety limit for the Grand National is 40 runners so, at the final declaration stage, two days before the race, only the highest-rated 40 entries, plus four reserves, remain and the remainder are balloted out.

Collectively, John Francome, Peter Scudamore and Richard Johnson won the National Hunt Jockeys’ Championship 19 times and rode 6,634 winners. However, as far as the Grand National was concerned, their aggregate total was nil; not only did none of them manage to win the world famous steeplechase but, from 34 attempts between them, they could muster only five placed horses.

In fairness to the other two, Richard Johnson was, far and away, the main culprit when it came to losing rides in the Grand National. In fact, he rode in the National a record 21 times, but the closest he came to winning was second on What’s Up Boys in 2002 and second again on Balthazar King in 2014.

By contrast, Scudamore rode in the National just three times and achieved his best placing, third, on the 1983 Grand National winner, Corbiere, in 1985. Deputising for the injured Ben de Haan, but nursing a badly bruised, and heavily strapped, left leg, Scudamore said later that thought he might win from the third last fence but, ultimately, Corbiere could not withstand the lightly-weighted pair Last Suspect and Mr. Snugfit in the closing stages.

John Francome rode ten times in the Grand National, finishing third on the fading Rough And Tumble in 1979 and second, albeit beaten 20 lengths, on the same horse in 1980. He did, however, turn down on the 1976 winner, Rag Trade, after finishing tenth and last on the same horse in 1975.