2000 Grand National
Encyclopedia
The 2000 Grand National was the 153rd official renewal of the world-famous Grand National
steeplechase
that took place at Aintree
on 8 April 2000.
The race was won in a time of nine minutes and 9.7 seconds and by a distance of one-and-a-quarter lengths by 10/1 shot Papillon
, ridden by jockey Ruby Walsh
. The winner was trained by Ted Walsh
in Kill
, Ireland
and ran in American Betty Moran's colours of green with ice blue piping. The field was limited to a maximum of 40 competitors of which 17 completed the course without mishap. None of the horses who failed to complete the course were injured.
. The pairing had won the Mildmay of Flete Handicap Chase at the recent Cheltenham
meeting but had yet to win a race over three miles. The favourite backers' hopes were dashed early in the race when McCoy took a heavy fall at the third fence.
Star Traveller was a regular winner of good three mile chases prior to finishing third in a three-mile chase at the Cheltenham festival. The mount of Richard Johnson
was sent off at 10/1 and led for much of the race before being pulled up after going lame when hitting the 25th fence.
Papillon was the subject of a huge public gamble from 33/1 to 10/1 on the day of the race. The Irish trained runner had undergone an unusual preparation of hurdles but had previously been second in the Irish Grand National
and Irish Hennessey Cognac Gold Cup. Ruby Walsh kept his mount in the leading group throughout before taking the lead four fences from home, going on to win by one-and-a-quarter lengths.
Bobbyjo
was popular with the public having won the previous year's National
and was sent off at 12/1. He was again partnered by Paul Carberry
and featured prominently in the early stages of the race until making a bad mistake at the seventh fence. The pair were always struggling to stay in touch after that and finished 11th.
Earthmover was a top hunter chaser who had run steadily in three-mile chases, including the Welsh National
where he finished third, leading many to view him as an ideal Aintree type. He was sent off at 14/1 and ridden by Joe Tizzard but the pair parted company at the fourth fence.
Micko's Dream was considered the form horse going into the race after winning two three-mile chases in January and February but was sent off at 14/1 due to concerns that the ground was not soft enough for him. His partnership with Jason Titley ended at in a first-fence fall.
The Last Fling was also sent off at 14/1 after a string of encouraging performances over three miles during the season, although he was largely outpaced in the recent Cheltenham Gold Cup
. Ridden by Seamus Durack, The Last Fling was always working hard to stay on the tail of the leading half-dozen before finishing seventh.
Young Kenny was regarded as a perfect Grand National horse after winning the Midlands Grand National, Scottish Grand National
and Singer & Friedlander Grand National trial but was also faced with the task of trying to be the first horse to carry the 12 stone top weight to victory for over 20 years. He started at 14/1 with Brendan Powell in the saddle but the pair came to grief at the tenth fence.
and Graham Bradley after the 1999 running
left two-time former winner Carl Llewellyn as the most senior rider in the weighing room, weighing out for a National for the tenth time. Eventual winner Ruby Walsh was among five riders making their debut in the race with all the other debut riders acquitting themselves well. Future winner Barry Geraghty finished fifth with Ollie McPhail and Bruce Gibson also completing the course, while Jimmy McCarthy fell at the final fence.
retained the rights to broadcast the race live for 41st consecutive year and it was shown as a Grandstand
Grand National special. Sue Barker
made her debut as the anchor presenter, making her the fifth person and first woman to host the BBC broadcast. Barker presented the programme from the unsaddling enclosure, which was situated outside where the weighing room bar is today, with interviews with celebrity racegoers, connections of the competitors, former Aintree heroes and the winning connections after the race.
The rest of the BBC team comprised Clare Balding
as a roving reporter on the course and in the saddling boxes. Balding had also been the anchor presenter on BBC's coverage of the previous two days of the Aintree meeting. Angus Loughran
brought betting news and Richard Dunwoody interviewed the riders in the weighing room. The racing commentary team for the third consecutive year was John Hanmer, Tony O'Hehir and lead commentator Jim McGrath
who, for the third year, called the winner home.
A post-race re-run, using slow motion and additional camera angles, including inside fences was presented by Richard Pitman
.
The BBC television pictures were also syndicated globally for international broadcast while independent television cameras were also on course to provide pictures and commentary for SIS, broadcast into UK bookmakers' outlets.
BBC Radio also presented a live race commentary for the 59th time since its first broadcast in 1927.
All of the major national daily newspapers in the UK published pullout sections of their Saturday morning editions ranging from four to sixteen pages with most including full colour guides of the competitors.
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...
that took place 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....
on 8 April 2000.
The race was won in a time of nine minutes and 9.7 seconds and by a distance of one-and-a-quarter lengths by 10/1 shot Papillon
Papillon (horse)
Papillon is an Irish racehorse formerly trained at Greenhills stables, near Naas in County Kildare. His most notable success was winning the 2000 Grand National.Papillon is owned by American Mrs Betty Moran, owner of Brushwood Stable...
, ridden by jockey Ruby Walsh
Ruby Walsh
Ruby Walsh is the reigning Irish National Hunt champion jockey. He is the second child, and eldest son, of former champion amateur jockey Ted Walsh and his wife Helen.-Success:...
. The winner was trained by Ted Walsh
Ted Walsh
Ted Walsh is an amateur jockey turned racehorse trainer, based in Kill, County Kildare, Ireland. He was born and raised in Co. Cork. As a rider, one of his most important wins was on Attitude Adjuster in the 1986 Cheltenham Festival Foxhunter Chase...
in Kill
Kill, County Kildare
Kill is a village and parish in County Kildare, Ireland near the county's border with Dublin beside the N7. Its population of 2,510 makes it the 13th largest town in County Kildare. Kill is the birthpace of the Fenian John Devoy, sometimes regarded as the "grandfather of the modern Irish state"...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and ran in American Betty Moran's colours of green with ice blue piping. The field was limited to a maximum of 40 competitors of which 17 completed the course without mishap. None of the horses who failed to complete the course were injured.
Leading contenders
Dark Stranger was sent off as the 9/1 favourite, largely due to his being the mount of champion jockey Tony McCoyTony McCoy
Anthony Peter McCoy OBE , commonly known as A. P. McCoy or Tony McCoy, is a Northern Irish horse racing jockey....
. The pairing had won the Mildmay of Flete Handicap Chase at the recent Cheltenham
Cheltenham Racecourse
Cheltenham Racecourse is a racecourse for horse racing events, located at Prestbury Park, in the suburban village of Prestbury on the outskirts of the English town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire...
meeting but had yet to win a race over three miles. The favourite backers' hopes were dashed early in the race when McCoy took a heavy fall at the third fence.
Star Traveller was a regular winner of good three mile chases prior to finishing third in a three-mile chase at the Cheltenham festival. The mount of 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:...
was sent off at 10/1 and led for much of the race before being pulled up after going lame when hitting the 25th fence.
Papillon was the subject of a huge public gamble from 33/1 to 10/1 on the day of the race. The Irish trained runner had undergone an unusual preparation of hurdles but had previously been second in the 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...
and Irish Hennessey Cognac Gold Cup. Ruby Walsh kept his mount in the leading group throughout before taking the lead four fences from home, going on to win by one-and-a-quarter lengths.
Bobbyjo
Bobbyjo
Bobbyjo was an Irish bred racehorse by Bustineto and Markup, best remembered as the winner of the 1999 Grand National steeplechase at Aintree....
was popular with the public having won the previous year's National
1999 Grand National
The 1999 Grand National was the 152nd official renewal of the world-famous Grand National steeplechase that took place at Aintree near Liverpool, England, on 10 April 1999....
and was sent off at 12/1. He was again partnered by 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...
and featured prominently in the early stages of the race until making a bad mistake at the seventh fence. The pair were always struggling to stay in touch after that and finished 11th.
Earthmover was a top hunter chaser who had run steadily in three-mile chases, including the Welsh National
Welsh National
The Welsh National is a Grade 3 National Hunt chase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Chepstow, Wales, over a distance of about 3 miles and 5½ furlongs , and during its running there are twenty-two fences to be jumped...
where he finished third, leading many to view him as an ideal Aintree type. He was sent off at 14/1 and ridden by Joe Tizzard but the pair parted company at the fourth fence.
Micko's Dream was considered the form horse going into the race after winning two three-mile chases in January and February but was sent off at 14/1 due to concerns that the ground was not soft enough for him. His partnership with Jason Titley ended at in a first-fence fall.
The Last Fling was also sent off at 14/1 after a string of encouraging performances over three miles during the season, although he was largely outpaced in the recent Cheltenham Gold Cup
Cheltenham 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...
. Ridden by Seamus Durack, The Last Fling was always working hard to stay on the tail of the leading half-dozen before finishing seventh.
Young Kenny was regarded as a perfect Grand National horse after winning the Midlands Grand National, 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...
and Singer & Friedlander Grand National trial but was also faced with the task of trying to be the first horse to carry the 12 stone top weight to victory for over 20 years. He started at 14/1 with Brendan Powell in the saddle but the pair came to grief at the tenth fence.
Finishing order
| Position | Name | Jockey | Age | Weight (st, lb) | Starting price | Distance |
| 1st | Papillon Papillon (horse) Papillon is an Irish racehorse formerly trained at Greenhills stables, near Naas in County Kildare. His most notable success was winning the 2000 Grand National.Papillon is owned by American Mrs Betty Moran, owner of Brushwood Stable... |
Ruby Walsh Ruby Walsh Ruby Walsh is the reigning Irish National Hunt champion jockey. He is the second child, and eldest son, of former champion amateur jockey Ted Walsh and his wife Helen.-Success:... |
9 | 10-12 | 10/1 | Won by 1¼ lengths |
| 2nd | Mely Moss | Norman Williamson Norman Williamson Norman Williamson is a professional jockey in the Irish National Hunt.- References :... |
9 | 10-01 | 25/1 | 12 lengths |
| 3rd | Niki Dee | Robbie Supple | 10 | 10-13 | 25/1 | 7 lengths |
| 4th | Brave Highlander | Philip Hide | 12 | 10-05 | 50/1 | A neck |
| 5th | Addington Boy | Adrian Maguire Adrian Maguire Adrian Maguire, born 29 April 1971 in Kilmessan, County Meath, Ireland, is a racehorse trainer and former jockey.Maguire began his career in Irish pony racing at the age of nine, in which he rode more than 200 winners. In 1990 he rode his first winner under rules, at Sligo, before his first victory... |
12 | 11-02 | 33/1 | 3 lengths |
| 6th | Call It A Day | Barry Geraghty Barry Geraghty Barry Geraghty is an Irish jockey.Geraghty rode his first winner in January 1997, three years later he became the Irish Champion jump jockey for the first time. He rode his first Cheltenham winner on the Jessica Harrington trained Moscow Flyer in the 2002 Arkle Chase.He won the Grand National in... |
10 | 10-11 | 50/1 | 4 lengths |
| 7th | The Last Fling | Seamus Durack | 10 | 11-05 | 14/1 | 9 lengths |
| 8th | Lucky Town | David Casey | 9 | 10-05 | 20/1 | 2 lengths |
| 9th | Djeddah | Thiery Doumen | 9 | 11-08 | 16/1 | 27 lengths |
| 10th | Hollybank Buck | Peter Niven | 10 | 10-04 | 33/1 | 7 lengths |
| 11th | Bobbyjo Bobbyjo Bobbyjo was an Irish bred racehorse by Bustineto and Markup, best remembered as the winner of the 1999 Grand National steeplechase at Aintree.... |
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... |
10 | 11-06 | 12/1 | 4 lengths |
| 12th | Kendal Cavalier | Barry Fenton | 10 | 10-06 | 33/1 | 1½ lengths |
| 13th | Suny Bay | Chris Maude | 11 | 11-12 | 66/1 | 11 lengths |
| 14th | Feels Like Gold | Brian Harding | 12 | 10-07 | 28/1 | ¾ length |
| 15th | Camelot Knight | Ollie McPhail | 14 | 10-06 | 150/1 | 17 lengths |
| 16th | Kingdom Of Shades | Tom Jenks | 10 | 10-04 | 50/1 | 22 lengths |
| 17th | Celtic Giant | Bruce Gibson | 10 | 10-07 | 100/1 | Last to complete |
Non-finishers
| Fence | Name | Jockey | Age | Weight (st, lb) | Starting price | Fate |
| 30th | Escartefigue | Jimmy McCarthy | 8 | 11-09 | 50/1 | Unseated rider |
| 27th (open ditch) | Star Traveller | 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 | 10-11 | 10/1 | Pulled up lame |
| 24th (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.... ) |
Buck Rogers | Ken Whelan | 11 | 11-00 | 50/1 | Fell |
| 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... ) |
Esprit De Cotte | 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 | 10-08 | 50/1 | Fell |
| Stormy Passage | 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 | 11-03 | 50/1 | Fell | |
| 20th | Flaked Oats | 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 :... |
11 | 10-03 | 50/1 | Fell |
| Village King | 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.... |
7 | 10-11 | 50/1 | Fell | |
| 17th | Listen Timmy | 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... |
11 | 11-05 | 50/1 | Pulled up |
| 14th | Merry People | Garret Cotter | 12 | 10-05 | 40/1 | Unseated rider |
| 13th | The Gopher | Warren Marston | 11 | 10-03 | 66/1 | Fell |
| Torduff Express | Robert Thornton Robert Thornton (jockey) Robert "Choc" Thornton is an English National Hunt jockey currently employed as stable jockey to Alan King.... |
9 | 10-03 | 50/1 | Fell | |
| 12th (open ditch) | Druid's Brook | Rupert Wakeley | 11 | 10-05 | 66/1 | Unseated rider |
| 10th | Young Kenny | Brendan Powell | 9 | 12-00 | 14/1 | Fell |
| 6th (Becher's Brook) | Red Marauder Red Marauder Red Marauder is a Thoroughbred race horse that won a dramatic 2001 renewal of the Grand National. Only four horses completed the race successfully - two of those having been remounted - due partly to the desperate conditions at Aintree and mainly thanks to the loose horse Paddy's Return causing... |
Richard Guest | 10 | 11-02 | 18/1 | Fell |
| 4th | Choisty | Robert Widger | 10 | 10-00 | 50/1 | Fell |
| Earthmover | Joe Tizzard | 9 | 10-05 | 14/1 | Fell | |
| 3rd (open ditch) | Dark Stranger | Tony McCoy Tony McCoy Anthony Peter McCoy OBE , commonly known as A. P. McCoy or Tony McCoy, is a Northern Irish horse racing jockey.... |
9 | 10-01 | 9/1 F | Unseated rider |
| 2nd | Sparky Gayle | Brian Storey | 10 | 10-08 | 33/1 | Unseated rider |
| 1st | Micko's Dream | Jason Titley | 8 | 10-10 | 14/1 | Fell |
| Trinitro | Robert Bellamy | 9 | 10-03 | 100/1 | Fell | |
| Royal Predica | Glenn Tormey | 6 | 10-04 | 50/1 | Fell | |
| Senor El Betrutti | Carl Llewellyn | 11 | 10-12 | 100/1 | Fell | |
| Art Prince | Dean Gallagher | 10 | 10-04 | 100/1 | Fell | |
Jockeys
The retirement of both Richard DunwoodyRichard 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...
and Graham Bradley after the 1999 running
1999 Grand National
The 1999 Grand National was the 152nd official renewal of the world-famous Grand National steeplechase that took place at Aintree near Liverpool, England, on 10 April 1999....
left two-time former winner Carl Llewellyn as the most senior rider in the weighing room, weighing out for a National for the tenth time. Eventual winner Ruby Walsh was among five riders making their debut in the race with all the other debut riders acquitting themselves well. Future winner Barry Geraghty finished fifth with Ollie McPhail and Bruce Gibson also completing the course, while Jimmy McCarthy fell at the final fence.
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 broadcast the race live for 41st consecutive year and it was shown as a Grandstand
Grandstand (BBC)
Grandstand was a British television sport programme. Broadcast between 1958 and 2007, it was one of the BBC's longest running sports shows, alongside BBC Sports Personality of the Year.Its first presenter was Peter Dimmock...
Grand National special. Sue Barker
Sue Barker
Susan Barker, MBE is an English television presenter and former professional tennis player. During her tennis career, she won the women's singles title at the French Open and reached a career-high singles ranking of World No. 3...
made her debut as the anchor presenter, making her the fifth person and first woman to host the BBC broadcast. Barker presented the programme from the unsaddling enclosure, which was situated outside where the weighing room bar is today, with interviews with celebrity racegoers, connections of the competitors, former Aintree heroes and the winning connections after the race.
The rest of the BBC team comprised Clare Balding
Clare Balding
Clare Balding is a BBC sports presenter, journalist and jockey.-Early life:In 1989 and 1990, Balding was a leading amateur flat jockey and Champion Lady Rider in 1990....
as a roving reporter on the course and in the saddling boxes. Balding had also been the anchor presenter on BBC's coverage of the previous two days of the Aintree meeting. Angus Loughran
Angus Loughran
Angus Loughran is a British sports commentator and pundit. He appears regularly on television, newspapers and websites, usually concentrating on horse racing and football, such as the Daily Telegraph and online bookmaker Easyodds, writing tipping sections every day...
brought betting news and Richard Dunwoody interviewed the riders in the weighing room. The racing commentary team for the third consecutive year was John Hanmer, Tony O'Hehir and lead 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, for the third year, called the winner home.
A post-race re-run, using slow motion and additional camera angles, including inside fences was presented by Richard Pitman
Richard Pitman
Richard Pitman, is a retired jump jockey who rode 470 winners in his career including Lanzarote in the 1974 Champion Hurdle). He also won the King George VI Chase at Kempton Park Racecourse twice, the Whitbread Gold Cup once and the Hennessy Gold Cup once....
.
The BBC television pictures were also syndicated globally for international broadcast while independent television cameras were also on course to provide pictures and commentary for SIS, broadcast into UK bookmakers' outlets.
BBC Radio also presented a live race commentary for the 59th time since its first broadcast in 1927.
All of the major national daily newspapers in the UK published pullout sections of their Saturday morning editions ranging from four to sixteen pages with most including full colour guides of the competitors.