1997 Grand National
Encyclopedia
The 1997 Grand National was the 150th official renewal of the world-famous Grand National
steeplechase
held at Aintree
near Liverpool
, England
. The race was scheduled to be run on Saturday 5 April 1997, but was postponed by two days to Monday 7 April after an Irish Republican Army
bomb threat
forced the evacuation of the course.
The race was won in a time of nine minutes and 5.9 seconds and by a distance of 25 lengths by Lord Gyllene
at 14/1, ridden by jockey Tony Dobbin
. The winner was trained by Steve Brookshaw at his Preston Farm base in Uffington
, Shropshire
, and ran in the colours of Stanley Clarke. Brookshaw collected £178,146 of a total prize fund shared through the first six finishers of £303,300. There were two equine fatalities during the race.
, and three minutes later a second was made via telephone to the police's control room in Bootle
, both using recognised codewords of the IRA. At least one device was warned to have been planted within Aintree Racecourse.
The police evacuated 60,000 people from the course, stranding 20,000 racegoers, media personnel and those connected to the competing horses, as their vehicles remained locked inside the confines of the course. Initially, spectators were evacuated from the stands onto the course itself but after consultation with the police, course clerk Charles Barnett advised via the live broadcast that everyone would have to leave the course completely. The people of Liverpool responded by opening their homes to racegoers stranded overnight in the city, with tens of thousands of temporarily homeless people being offered a bed for the night in the homes around the course. This prompted tabloid headlines such as "We'll fight them on the Becher's", in reference to Winston Churchill
's war-time speech We Shall Fight on the Beaches
.
Most of the competing horses either travelled home or were moved to nearby Haydock
. A dozen remained in the stables at Aintree.
At 4:14pm, the police carried out two controlled explosions at the course. Fewer than 10,000 of the original crowd were expected to return for the postponed race, but over 20,000 turned out at Aintree on Monday 7 April to watch Lord Gyllene
gallop to a 25-length victory, 49 hours late.
three weeks before the National. The Ascot
specialist was considered to have been largely undervalued in the weights and was due to go off carrying the minimum ten stones with last year's
winning rider Mick Fitzgerald
in the saddle. Fitzgerald was one of many riders unable to make the allocated weight after the two-day delay and weighed out at 10 stone and 3 lb. Go Ballistic set off at 7/1 favourite but was always struggling to keep pace with the leaders; he was lying a distant tenth when he broke a blood vessel approaching the penultimate fence and was pulled up.
Suny Bay was an eight-year-old whose popularity was assisted by his being a grey
, which made him the 'housewives choice' on raceday, but was mostly built on an impressive victory in the Greenall's Grand National trial at Haydock
in February, beating Lo Stregone. Ridden by Jamie Osborne
, Suny Bay was sent off at 8/1 and ran prominently throughout but was beginning to tire when he made a bad mistake at the fourth fence from home and although the pairing remained intact, Suny Bay was unable get on terms with the winner and finished a well-beaten second.
Wylde Hide was a ten-year-old, two-times winner of the Thyestes Chase
at Gowran Park
who was carrying much of the Irish support to break a 22-year run without a horse from their homeland winning the race. It was also felt that the J. P. McManus-owned gelding
would have gone close had he not unseated when starting to issue a challenge at the Canal Turn
second time in the 1996 race. The Arthur Moore-trained 11/1 shot failed to improve on that and was chasing the leaders when he blundered at Becher's Brook
on the second circuit and unseated Charlie Swann.
Avro Anson was a nine-year-old, trained by Maurice Camacho in Malton
, North Yorkshire
, who was well backed despite being relatively inexperienced as a chaser with just five starts in his career. Peter Niven took the ride, being sent off at 12/1 and they still held every chance in the first half-dozen at the Canal Turn second time but a mistake at Valentine's cost him his chance, fading out of contention over the remaining fences before rallying late on to finish sixth, almost 40 lengths behind the winner.
Smith's Band was trained by Jenny Pitman
and given the most experienced rider in the race in Richard Dunwoody
, his 12th Grand National mount (including the void race of 1993
). He was sent off carrying two pounds overweight at 12/1 despite having pulled up on his only start in the previous 12 months. Smith's Band disputed the lead throughout before suffering falling fatally at the 20th fence.
Other well backed contestants at the off were 1996 Sun Alliance Chase winner Nathen Lad, Punchestown
Grand National Trial winner Antonin, 1996 Scottish Grand National
runner-up General Wolfe, 1996 Irish Grand National
winner Feathered Gale and the 1996 Greenall's Grand National Trial winner Lo Stregone. Eventual winner Lord Gyllene had been the anti-post favourite until a few days before the race but drifted out to 14/1 before the race.
The 11 riders making their debut in the race were all on outside chances but included two future winners, Timmy Murphy
and Jim Culloty, as well as a quartet of others whose appearances would go into double figures in Richard Johnson, Robert Thornton, Joe Tizzard and David Casey. It was Sean Curran who faired best of the debut riders on the day, finishing seventh with only Murphy and Casey also completing the course. Glen Tormey and Tom Treacy also made their debuts while this was the only ride in a National for Daniel Fortt and T. J. Mitchell.
Note: Weights in square-brackets indicate overweight.
Note: Weights in square-brackets indicate overweight.
retained the rights to televise the Grand National live worldwide for the 38th consecutive year, presented by Des Lynam
, to an estimated global audience of 400 million people.
At the time of the evacuation the broadcasting team were evacuated too, with the exception of commentator Jim McGrath
who was located in the commentary position at the far extreme of the course. McGrath continued to cover the events of the evacuation until the end of the scheduled broadcast. The BBC covered the rescheduled race live on the Monday evening. The bomb scare overshadowed the final broadcast of lead commentator Peter O'Sullevan
, who had called the Grand National for the BBC on radio and then television every year since 1946. O'Sullevan had announced his retirement earlier in the season. Along with O'Sullevan and McGrath the commentary team was completed by John Hanmer.
Grand National
The Grand National is a world-famous National Hunt horse race which is held annually at Aintree Racecourse, near Liverpool, England. It is a handicap chase run over a distance of four miles and 856 yards , with horses jumping thirty fences over two circuits of Aintree's National Course...
steeplechase
Steeplechase
Steeplechase may refer to:* Steeplechase, an event in horse racing* SteepleChase, a Danish jazz label* Steeplechase , a 1975 arcade game released by Atari...
held at Aintree
Aintree Racecourse
Aintree Racecourse is a racecourse in Aintree, Merseyside, England.It was served by Aintree Racecourse railway station until the station closed in the 1960s....
near Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The race was scheduled to be run on Saturday 5 April 1997, but was postponed by two days to Monday 7 April after an Irish Republican Army
Irish Republican Army
The Irish Republican Army was an Irish republican revolutionary military organisation. It was descended from the Irish Volunteers, an organisation established on 25 November 1913 that staged the Easter Rising in April 1916...
bomb threat
Bomb threat
A bomb threat is generally defined as a threat, usually verbal or written, to detonate an explosive or incendiary device to cause property damage, death, or injuries, whether or not such a device actually exists...
forced the evacuation of the course.
The race was won in a time of nine minutes and 5.9 seconds and by a distance of 25 lengths by Lord Gyllene
Lord Gyllene
Lord Gyllene was a New Zealand bred racehorse whose greatest victory came in the 1997 Grand National at Aintree. He was trained by Steve Brookshaw for owner Stan Clarke and ridden by Tony Dobbin. He was retired by his owner in 2001 due to injury...
at 14/1, ridden by jockey Tony Dobbin
Tony Dobbin
Tony Dobbin is a retired Northern Irish National Hunt jockey who rode mainly in Great Britain. He rode the winner of the Grand National on Lord Gyllene in 1997 and won over 1,200 races during his career in the saddle. He was the regular stable jockey for Nicky Richards...
. The winner was trained by Steve Brookshaw at his Preston Farm base in Uffington
Uffington, Shropshire
Uffington is a village in the English county of Shropshire. It lies between Haughmond Hill and the River Severn, 3 miles east from the town centre of Shrewsbury, at .Uffington is home to a church and a pub, the Corbet Arms...
, Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
, and ran in the colours of Stanley Clarke. Brookshaw collected £178,146 of a total prize fund shared through the first six finishers of £303,300. There were two equine fatalities during the race.
Postponement
The race was originally scheduled to be run on Saturday 5 April at 3:45pm. However, at 2:49pm one bomb threat was made via telephone to Aintree University Hospital in FazakerleyFazakerley
Fazakerley is a suburb of north Liverpool, Merseyside, England, and a Liverpool City Council Ward. At the 2001 Census it had a population of 15,062...
, and three minutes later a second was made via telephone to the police's control room in Bootle
Bootle
Bootle is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England, and a 'Post town' in the L postcode area. Formally known as Bootle-cum-Linacre, the town is 4 miles to the north of Liverpool city centre, and has a total resident population of 77,640.Historically part of...
, both using recognised codewords of the IRA. At least one device was warned to have been planted within Aintree Racecourse.
The police evacuated 60,000 people from the course, stranding 20,000 racegoers, media personnel and those connected to the competing horses, as their vehicles remained locked inside the confines of the course. Initially, spectators were evacuated from the stands onto the course itself but after consultation with the police, course clerk Charles Barnett advised via the live broadcast that everyone would have to leave the course completely. The people of Liverpool responded by opening their homes to racegoers stranded overnight in the city, with tens of thousands of temporarily homeless people being offered a bed for the night in the homes around the course. This prompted tabloid headlines such as "We'll fight them on the Becher's", in reference to Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
's war-time speech We Shall Fight on the Beaches
We shall fight on the beaches
We Shall Fight on the Beaches is a common title given to a speech delivered by Winston Churchill to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom on 4th June 1940...
.
Most of the competing horses either travelled home or were moved to nearby Haydock
Haydock Park Racecourse
Haydock Park Racecourse is a racecourse in Haydock, Merseyside, England. The track is a mostly flat left-handed oval of around 1 mile 5 furlongs with a very slight rise on the run-in. There are courses for flat racing and National Hunt racing...
. A dozen remained in the stables at Aintree.
At 4:14pm, the police carried out two controlled explosions at the course. Fewer than 10,000 of the original crowd were expected to return for the postponed race, but over 20,000 turned out at Aintree on Monday 7 April to watch Lord Gyllene
Lord Gyllene
Lord Gyllene was a New Zealand bred racehorse whose greatest victory came in the 1997 Grand National at Aintree. He was trained by Steve Brookshaw for owner Stan Clarke and ridden by Tony Dobbin. He was retired by his owner in 2001 due to injury...
gallop to a 25-length victory, 49 hours late.
Leading contenders
Go Ballistic was made favourite after finishing fourth in the Cheltenham Gold CupCheltenham Gold Cup
The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt chase in the United Kingdom which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 3 miles and 2½ furlongs , and during its running there are twenty-two fences to be jumped...
three weeks before the National. The Ascot
Ascot Racecourse
Ascot Racecourse is a famous English racecourse, located in the small town of Ascot, Berkshire, used for thoroughbred horse racing. It is one of the leading racecourses in the United Kingdom, hosting 9 of the UK's 32 annual Group 1 races...
specialist was considered to have been largely undervalued in the weights and was due to go off carrying the minimum ten stones with last year's
1996 Grand National
The 1996 Grand National was the 149th official renewal of the world-famous Grand National steeplechase that took place at Aintree on 30 March 1996....
winning rider Mick Fitzgerald
Mick Fitzgerald
Mick Fitzgerald is an Irish National Hunt jockey who rode mainly in Great Britain. He has ridden the winners of the Grand National, on Rough Quest in 1996, and the Cheltenham Gold Cup on See More Business in 1999. He was the stable jockey for Nicky Henderson and was leading jockey at the...
in the saddle. Fitzgerald was one of many riders unable to make the allocated weight after the two-day delay and weighed out at 10 stone and 3 lb. Go Ballistic set off at 7/1 favourite but was always struggling to keep pace with the leaders; he was lying a distant tenth when he broke a blood vessel approaching the penultimate fence and was pulled up.
Suny Bay was an eight-year-old whose popularity was assisted by his being a grey
Gray (horse)
Gray or grey is a coat color of horses characterized by progressive silvering of the colored hairs of the coat. Most gray horses have black skin and dark eyes; unlike many depigmentation genes, gray does not affect skin or eye color Their adult hair coat is white, dappled, or white intermingled...
, which made him the 'housewives choice' on raceday, but was mostly built on an impressive victory in the Greenall's Grand National trial at Haydock
Haydock Park Racecourse
Haydock Park Racecourse is a racecourse in Haydock, Merseyside, England. The track is a mostly flat left-handed oval of around 1 mile 5 furlongs with a very slight rise on the run-in. There are courses for flat racing and National Hunt racing...
in February, beating Lo Stregone. Ridden by Jamie Osborne
Jamie Osborne
Jamie Osborne is a jockey and race horse trainer. Born 28 August 1967 he rode his first winner in March 1986 and in 1999 obtained his trainers licence. Once a favourite of the Queen Mother, he was acquitted of race fixing in 1998.-References:...
, Suny Bay was sent off at 8/1 and ran prominently throughout but was beginning to tire when he made a bad mistake at the fourth fence from home and although the pairing remained intact, Suny Bay was unable get on terms with the winner and finished a well-beaten second.
Wylde Hide was a ten-year-old, two-times winner of the Thyestes Chase
Thyestes Chase
The Thyestes Chase is a National Hunt race in Ireland. It is run over at Gowran Park in January, over a distance of 3 miles and during the race there are 16 fences to be jumped...
at Gowran Park
Gowran Park
Gowran Park is a horse race course in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located in the Annerly Estate near the village of Gowran.The first meeting was held in 1914...
who was carrying much of the Irish support to break a 22-year run without a horse from their homeland winning the race. It was also felt that the J. P. McManus-owned gelding
Gelding
A gelding is a castrated horse or other equine such as a donkey or a mule. Castration, and the elimination of hormonally driven behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male horse to be calmer and better-behaved, making the animal quieter, gentler and potentially more suitable as an everyday...
would have gone close had he not unseated when starting to issue a challenge at the Canal Turn
Canal Turn
The Canal Turn is a fence on Aintree Racecourse's National Course and thus is jumped during the Grand National steeplechase which is held annually at the racecourse near Liverpool, England....
second time in the 1996 race. The Arthur Moore-trained 11/1 shot failed to improve on that and was chasing the leaders when he blundered at Becher's Brook
Becher's Brook
Becher's Brook is a fence jumped during the Grand National, a National Hunt horse race held annually at Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool, England. It is jumped twice during the race, as the sixth and 22nd fence, as well as on four other occasions during the year...
on the second circuit and unseated Charlie Swann.
Avro Anson was a nine-year-old, trained by Maurice Camacho in Malton
Malton, North Yorkshire
Malton is a market town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. The town is the location of the offices of Ryedale District Council and has a population of around 4,000 people....
, North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
, who was well backed despite being relatively inexperienced as a chaser with just five starts in his career. Peter Niven took the ride, being sent off at 12/1 and they still held every chance in the first half-dozen at the Canal Turn second time but a mistake at Valentine's cost him his chance, fading out of contention over the remaining fences before rallying late on to finish sixth, almost 40 lengths behind the winner.
Smith's Band was trained by Jenny Pitman
Jenny Pitman
Jenny Pitman is a former British racehorse trainer and author. She became the first woman to train a Grand National winner, when Corbiere won the race in 1983. She went on to win a second Grand National with Royal Athlete in 1995...
and given the most experienced rider in the race in Richard Dunwoody
Richard Dunwoody
Thomas Richard Dunwoody MBE is a retired British jockey in National Hunt racing. He was a three-time Champion Jockey, riding 1699 British winners in his career. His father was a leading Point to Point rider...
, his 12th Grand National mount (including the void race of 1993
1993 Grand National
The 1993 Grand National was scheduled on 3 April 1993 to be the 147th official renewal of the Grand National horse race, held annually at Aintree near Liverpool, England....
). He was sent off carrying two pounds overweight at 12/1 despite having pulled up on his only start in the previous 12 months. Smith's Band disputed the lead throughout before suffering falling fatally at the 20th fence.
Other well backed contestants at the off were 1996 Sun Alliance Chase winner Nathen Lad, Punchestown
Punchestown Racecourse
Punchestown Racecourse is located in the parish of Eadestown, between the R410 and R411 regional roads near Naas, County Kildare, in Ireland. It is home of the National Hunt Festival of Ireland....
Grand National Trial winner Antonin, 1996 Scottish Grand National
Scottish Grand National
The Scottish Grand National is a Grade 3 National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Ayr, Scotland, over a distance of approximately 4 miles and 110 yards and 27 fences...
runner-up General Wolfe, 1996 Irish Grand National
Irish Grand National
The Irish Grand National is a National Hunt chase in Ireland which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Fairyhouse over a distance of about 3 miles and 5 furlongs , and during its running there are twenty-four fences to be jumped...
winner Feathered Gale and the 1996 Greenall's Grand National Trial winner Lo Stregone. Eventual winner Lord Gyllene had been the anti-post favourite until a few days before the race but drifted out to 14/1 before the race.
The 11 riders making their debut in the race were all on outside chances but included two future winners, Timmy Murphy
Timmy Murphy
Timothy James Murphy , commonly known as Timmy Murphy, is a National Hunt jockey who overcame difficult personal problems to win the 2008 John Smith's Grand National at Aintree Racecourse on the horse Comply or Die. He recorded his 1,000th winner at Taunton on 21 January 2010.- References :...
and Jim Culloty, as well as a quartet of others whose appearances would go into double figures in Richard Johnson, Robert Thornton, Joe Tizzard and David Casey. It was Sean Curran who faired best of the debut riders on the day, finishing seventh with only Murphy and Casey also completing the course. Glen Tormey and Tom Treacy also made their debuts while this was the only ride in a National for Daniel Fortt and T. J. Mitchell.
Finishing order
| Position | Name | Jockey | Age | Weight (st, lb) | Starting price | Distance |
| 1st | Lord Gyllene Lord Gyllene Lord Gyllene was a New Zealand bred racehorse whose greatest victory came in the 1997 Grand National at Aintree. He was trained by Steve Brookshaw for owner Stan Clarke and ridden by Tony Dobbin. He was retired by his owner in 2001 due to injury... (NZL New Zealand New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga... ) |
Tony Dobbin Tony Dobbin Tony Dobbin is a retired Northern Irish National Hunt jockey who rode mainly in Great Britain. He rode the winner of the Grand National on Lord Gyllene in 1997 and won over 1,200 races during his career in the saddle. He was the regular stable jockey for Nicky Richards... |
9 | 10-00 | 14/1 | Won by 25 lengths |
| 2nd | Suny Bay (IRE Republic of Ireland Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,... ) |
Jamie Osborne | 8 | 10-03 | 8/1 | 2 lengths |
| 3rd | Camelot Knight | Carl Llewellyn | 11 | 10-00 | 100/1 | 1¾ lengths |
| 4th | Buckboard Bounce | Paul Carberry Paul Carberry Paul Carberry is an Irish National Hunt jockey.- Background :He was born on 9 February 1974. He hails from a racing family. He is the son of jockey Tommy Carberry, who was a famous National Hunt jockey in the 1960s and 1970s. His uncle is Arthur Moore, one of Ireland's leading National Hunt trainers... |
11 | 10-01 | 40/1 | 1¾ lengths |
| 5th | Master Oats | Norman Williamson Norman Williamson Norman Williamson is a professional jockey in the Irish National Hunt.- References :... |
11 | 11-10 | 25/1 | 8 lengths |
| 6th | Avro Anson | Peter Niven | 9 | 10-02 | 12/1 | 7 lengths |
| 7th | Killeshin | Sean Curran | 11 | 10-00 | 33/1 | 9 lengths |
| 8th | Dakyns Boy | Timmy Murphy Timmy Murphy Timothy James Murphy , commonly known as Timmy Murphy, is a National Hunt jockey who overcame difficult personal problems to win the 2008 John Smith's Grand National at Aintree Racecourse on the horse Comply or Die. He recorded his 1,000th winner at Taunton on 21 January 2010.- References :... |
12 | 10-00 | 100/1 | 1¼ lengths |
| 9th | Nahthen Lad (IRE Republic of Ireland Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,... ) |
Jason Titley | 8 | 10-09 | 14/1 | 8 lengths |
| 10th | Valiant Warrior | Russ Garrity | 9 | 10-00 [10-03] | 33/1 | 12 lengths |
| 11th | Antonin (FRA France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... ) |
Conor O'Dwyer | 9 | 10-00 | 14/1 | 3 lengths |
| 12th | Northern Hide | Paul Holley | 11 | 10-00 [10-01] | 66/1 | 22 lengths |
| 13th | Turning Trix | John Kavanagh | 10 | 10-00 | 25/1 | 13 lengths |
| 14th | Pink Gin | Mr. Chris Bonner | 10 | 10-00 | 100/1 | 6 lengths |
| 15th | New Co (IRE Republic of Ireland Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,... ) |
David Casey | 9 | 10-00 | 40/1 | 6 lengths |
| 16th | General Wolfe | Lorcan Wyer | 8 | 10-00 | 16/1 | A distance |
| 17th | Evangelica (USA United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... ) |
Robbie Supple | 7 | 10-00 | 33/1 | Last to complete |
Note: Weights in square-brackets indicate overweight.
Non-finishers
| Fence | Name | Jockey | Age | Weight (st, lb) | Starting price | Fate |
| 1st | Full Of Oats | Jim Culloty Jim Culloty Jim Culloty is a racehorse trainer and retired professional National Hunt jockey who won both the Cheltenham Gold Cup and Grand National in the same season.... |
11 | 10-00 | 33/1 | Fell |
| 7th (Foinavon Foinavon Foinavon was a relatively undistinguished Irish racehorse, until he became famous for winning the Grand National in 1967 after the rest of the field fell, refused or were hampered or brought down in a mêlée at the 23rd fence. He was at one time owned by Anne, Duchess of Westminster, whose colours... 's) |
Back Bar (IRE Republic of Ireland Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,... ) |
Tom Treacy | 9 | 10-00 | 100/1 | Fell |
| Glemot (IRE Republic of Ireland Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,... ) |
Simon McNeill | 9 | 10-00 | 50/1 | Hampered, unseated rider | |
| 11th | Nuaffe | T. J. Mitchell | 12 | 10-00 | 100/1 | Fell |
| 13th | Don't Light Up | Robert Thornton Robert Thornton (jockey) Robert "Choc" Thornton is an English National Hunt jockey currently employed as stable jockey to Alan King.... |
11 | 10-00 | 100/1 | Fell |
| 14th | Straight Talk | Joe Tizzard | 10 | 10-00 [10-03] | 50/1 | Fell (fatally) |
| 15th (The Chair) | Celtic Abbey | Richard Johnson Richard Johnson (jockey) Richard Johnson is an English National Hunt jockey.-Background:Johnson comes from a racing family with his father being an amateur jockey and his mother, Sue Johnson, a successful trainer.-Jockey career:... |
9 | 10-00 | 66/1 | Unseated rider |
| 20th | Smith's Band (IRE Republic of Ireland Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,... ) |
Richard Dunwoody Richard Dunwoody Thomas Richard Dunwoody MBE is a retired British jockey in National Hunt racing. He was a three-time Champion Jockey, riding 1699 British winners in his career. His father was a leading Point to Point rider... |
9 | 10-00 [10-02] | 12/1 | Fell (fatally) |
| 21st | Mugoni Beach | Glen Tormey | 12 | 10-00 | 100/1 | Pulled up |
| River Mandate | Andrew Thornton Andrew Thornton Andrew Thornton is a National Hunt jockey. He was born on October 28, 1972 in Cleveland and schooled at Barnard Castle School in County Durham. He rides mainly for Caroline Bailey,Seamus Mullins,Henrietta Knight,Ben Pollock and Richard Rowe.as well as for many other trainers. He is not related to... |
10 | 10-00 [10-01] | 50/1 | Pulled up | |
| Scribbler | Daniel Fortt | 11 | 10-00 [10-02] | 100/1 | Tailed off, pulled up | |
| 22nd (Becher's Brook Becher's Brook Becher's Brook is a fence jumped during the Grand National, a National Hunt horse race held annually at Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool, England. It is jumped twice during the race, as the sixth and 22nd fence, as well as on four other occasions during the year... ) |
Spuffington | Philip Hide | 9 | 10-00 [10-02] | 100/1 | Unseated rider |
| Wylde Hide | Charlie Swan | 10 | 10-00 | 11-01 | Unseated rider | |
| 27th | Dextra Dove | Chris Maude | 10 | 10-00 | 33/1 | Pulled up |
| Grange Brake | D. Walsh | 11 | 10-00 [10-04] | 100/1 | Refused | |
| Feathered Gale | Franny Woods | 10 | 10-03 | 16/1 | Pulled up | |
| Lo Stregone | Graham Bradley | 11 | 10-04 | 14/1 | Pulled up | |
| 29th | Bishops Hall | Mark Richards | 11 | 10-01 | 50/1 | Pulled up |
| Go Ballistic | Mick Fitzgerald Mick Fitzgerald Mick Fitzgerald is an Irish National Hunt jockey who rode mainly in Great Britain. He has ridden the winners of the Grand National, on Rough Quest in 1996, and the Cheltenham Gold Cup on See More Business in 1999. He was the stable jockey for Nicky Henderson and was leading jockey at the... |
8 | 10-00 [10-03] | 7/1 F | Pulled up | |
Note: Weights in square-brackets indicate overweight.
Coverage
The BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
retained the rights to televise the Grand National live worldwide for the 38th consecutive year, presented by Des Lynam
Des Lynam
Desmond Michael "Des" Lynam, OBE is an Irish television and radio presenter based in the UK.He has hosted television coverage of high profile events for many years...
, to an estimated global audience of 400 million people.
At the time of the evacuation the broadcasting team were evacuated too, with the exception of commentator Jim McGrath
Jim McGrath (Australian commentator)
Jim Aloysius McGrath is the BBC's senior horse racing commentator. He was previously deputy race commentator, and sometimes a paddock commentator.-Career:...
who was located in the commentary position at the far extreme of the course. McGrath continued to cover the events of the evacuation until the end of the scheduled broadcast. The BBC covered the rescheduled race live on the Monday evening. The bomb scare overshadowed the final broadcast of lead commentator Peter O'Sullevan
Peter O'Sullevan
Sir Peter O'Sullevan is a retired horse racing commentator for the BBC from 1947 to 1997, and correspondent for the Press Association, Daily Express and Today.-Early life:...
, who had called the Grand National for the BBC on radio and then television every year since 1946. O'Sullevan had announced his retirement earlier in the season. Along with O'Sullevan and McGrath the commentary team was completed by John Hanmer.