Grand National History
The history of the Grand National is long, with the first race being run in 1836 with 10 runners. There is some debate as to whether the races prior to 1839 should be counted, though, so the officially held date for the first Grand National is 1839.
Even at this early juncture, the histories of the Grand National and the Aintree Racecourse were becoming strongly interwoven, with the fall of one Captain Becher giving one of the most feared fences its name of Becher’s Brook. As Captain Becher rolled into a brook that flowed beside the fence, the rest of the field passed overhead, including the winning horse of the first Grand National, Lottery with Jem Mason driving it on.
The Grand National has been run at Aintree on most years since its inception, yet there have been a handful of years on which the race was not held at Aintree or has been cancelled outright. As with so many other major sporting events that were interrupted in the 20th century, it took the two World Wars to stop the running of the Grand National at Aintree.
In the first World War, the Grand National was run at Gatwick rather than Aintree, for the years 1916 to 1918, though under different names. Whether these races are truly considered Grand Nationals is a matter for debate.
During World War II, the Grand National was not run at all, being cancelled from 1941 to 1945. Britain had larger concerns than the greatest steeplechase in the world.
The 1993 Grand National was declared void due to a false start that did not see some of the runners return. While many turned back, a small group of runners ended up completing the entire course.
The 1997 race was almost missed as well, with a bomb threat being called in that cancelled the Saturday meeting. Instead, the race was postponed until Monday, with free entry being offered to make up for the inconveniences that many people suffered.
Even a casual racing fan can tell you that the most successful horse in the Grand National was Red Rum, who managed to win three times in the 1970s and was the last horse to win two years running. Red Rum not only won the race three times – in 1973, 1974 and 1977 – in between his wins he came in second place in the 1975 and 1976 Grand National chases. A major factor in the success of any horse is the trainer and the legendary Ginger McCarthy, one of the most successful trainers in the Grand National, trained Red Rum.
Never let it be said that racing is nothing more than simple entertainment, as the Grand National has not been without controversy. The sheer difficulty of many of the jumps in the Grand National has sometimes made it dangerous to both horses and riders. In the history of the race, 57 horses and one jockey have died from injuries sustained in the race. The race has been run over 162 times, though, with countless participants, so this number must be taken within the context of nearly 200 years of history.
Nevertheless, animal rights groups have campaigned against the Grand National, which has occasionally led to course changes. The infamous Becher’s Brook, for instance, was altered after two horses failed to jump the obstacle in 1989 and consequently died of injuries sustained. Other fences have also been altered at times in order to reduce the danger to horses as well as to diminish the effect of horse refusals on other runners.
The Grand National has been run for over 160 years now, and time has proven that even the most catastrophic global events will only force this great chase to stall, but never to halt forever. While the Grand National has changed somewhat over the years, due especially to the concerns of animal rights activists, the spirit of the race remains the same as it always has. A test of skill, stamina and sheer willpower, the Grand National is a rousing spectacle that is sure to bring millions of people to a standstill each year for many more years to come.
