Which horse holds the record for the most wins, or consecutive wins, in the Grand National?

Granted that his historic third win came more than four decades ago, it may no longer be the case that every schoolboy knows that the horse who holds the record for the most wins in the Grand National is Red Rum, who was victorious in 1973, 1974 and, after finishing second in 1975 and 1976, again in 1977. However, his name has passed into legend and has been mentioned often enough in relation to the latest dual winner, Tiger Roll, that even younger readers are probably aware of his achievement.

As far as consecutive wins in the Grand National are concerned, Red Rum and Tiger Roll, who achieved back-to-back victories in 2018 and 2019 jointly hold the record. However, not including Poethlyn, who won the ‘War National’ at Gatwick in 1918 before winning the Grand National at Aintree in 1919, three other horses have also recorded two consecutive wins in the world famous steeplechase. Those horses are, in chronological order, Abd-El-Kader in 1850 and 1851, The Colonel in 1869 and 1870 – who was ridden on both occasions by the most successful jockey in Grand National history, George Stevens – and Reynoldstown in 1935 and 1936.