Grand National: Our team nominate their favourite horses to have taken part in the Aintree marathon

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Matt Brocklebank - Party time through the 90s

So many Grand National stories; a multitude of characters and fascinating horses involved down the years.

In 2005 I was utterly convinced the monstrous Colonel Rayburn would win it for then up-and-coming young trainer Paul Nolan.

He'd won chases over distances ranging between two miles and three miles, and he was supposedly going to love the forecast deep ground.

The horse had shaped well when third in the Punchestown trial at the end of January, while Paul Carberry, who swung from the rafters of the old winner’s enclosure after winning on Bobbyjo in 1999, was booked to take the ride for the first time.

Above all, he was a proper character. Standing at 18hh, he must be just about the biggest National runner of all time and everyone connected with the yard was keen to stress what a gentle giant he was. He also had quite a significant overbite and used to do unusual things with his mouth, occasionally resembling some sort of strange, equine anteater.

In the end, it wasn’t to be. For all the amazing stories of glory, this great race has been far from a fairy-tale for many and Colonel Rayburn won’t be remembered for his Aintree exploits.

The ground was ultimately much drier than they’d anticipated all week and, after being hampered at Becher's on the second circuit, he was pulled-up as Hedgehunter achieved what at the time felt like the almost unthinkable in defying a weight in excess of 11st. He was pulled up when a 50/1 shot the following year, too, when again carrying my cash.

But as far as favourite National horses goes it has to be Party Politics.

He won in great style under Carl Llewelyn in 1992, was running well in the void race of ’93, finished second as an 11-year-old behind Royal Athlete in ’95, before falling at the third obstacle in ’96 on his final racecourse appearance.

That’s some record for a horse who suffered badly with his wind, so much so that later into his career he had to be fitted with a special tube to assist with his breathing.

Another colossus size-wise, standing a little over 17hh, Party Politics was a topical winner just days ahead of the general election, while his backers barely had a moment’s worry throughout the race.

He cruised to the front four fences from the finish, popped it like it was the first and never looked back.

He made the ultimate test for steeplechasers look so simple.

David Ord - Corbiere for the leading lady

The thing about the Grand National, and jump racing in general, is your heroes, with any luck, hang around.

That was certainly the case with Corbiere, the big chestnut with a huge white face. His win in the 1983 renewal made Jenny Pitman the first woman to train a National winner - and provided the launchpad for a fantastic training career.

Corbiere had already landed that season's Welsh National when lining up at Liverpool in the spring and galloped his way into Aintree history with a relentless display. In front at Valentines, he had the reserves to fend off the late thrust of another National stalwart Greasepaint by three-quarters-of-a-length. The runner-up was finishing fast but the line came in time for a jubilant Ben De Haan.

And the wonderful thing with Corbiere was he was back, for the next four runnings.

Under top weight he went down all guns blazing when third behind Hallo Dandy and Greasepaint (him again) in 1984. It was third place too in 1985 - behind Last Suspect and Mr Snugfit, with Greasepaint (him again) fourth.

Peter Scudamore was in the saddle for this bid and once again Corbiere had shouldered top weight, 11st 10lb, with distinction. Then in 1986 the unthinkable happened. He fell at the fourth fence. A horse who'd barely put a foot wrong for the previous three years, took a liberty at an obstacle for the first time and paid the price.

As far as good things went in the National, Corbiere to complete the course had been one.

He dusted himself down and was back in 1987 as a 12-year-old. He'd slipped down the weights somewhat - to the basement at 10st. But a fourth in the Welsh National showed the fire still burned and, reunited with Ben De Haan, he was a day-of-the-race punt - into 12/1.

The number 12 figured prominently for a third time, as it was represented by his finishing position. A solid effort to bid farewell to a race he'd graced for more than half a decade.

Corbiere made Aintree history and for six years played his part in the world's greatest steeplechase. A true National treasure.

Ben Linfoot – Lording it up in the Monday National

A lot of people’s favourite National horses will be those that came back year after year.

The likes of West Tip and Greasepaint and Party Politics and Suny Bay and Hedgehunter and Black Apalachi.

Old warriors like that who came back for more and performed with credit time after time hold special places in our hearts.

But my favourite National horse was a one-hit wonder.

More Chesney Hawkes than DJ Pied Piper and the Masters of Ceremonies, Lord Gyllene was very much The One And Only in 1997 as he smashed the National field on his, err, one and only run in the race.

Of course, his race became known as The Monday National.

And there was a certain charm in coming home from studying for your A-levels to watch the Grand National in the evening in your school uniform.

So perhaps there is an element of looking at this race through rose-tinted glasses, something that couldn’t have been imagined after the awful scenes on the Saturday when a mass evacuation of Aintree, due to an IRA bomb scare, saw the postponement of the race.

At least it was a postponement, of only two days, and just when the National needed a hero to get the race on the back pages for all the right reasons, it got one.

As Sir Peter O’Sullevan said in the commentary at the start of the 150th Grand National, ‘the winners of 265 races lining up, being told not to get on the tape…’

It was a cracking renewal, including a Gold Cup winner in Master Oats, and Lord Gyllene set his stall out from the very first fence, attacking it in the lead under Tony Dobbin. It was a similar story at the next 29 obstacles.

Rarely have we seen such a dominant performance in the National, thanks to an incredible display of jumping and galloping, and there was only one moment of real concern; when a loose horse came very close to carrying him out at the water jump in front of the stands.

The threat of drama never goes away in the National and it didn’t here, a loose horse accompanying the leader for much of the back straight down to Becher’s, but Lord Gyllene was in a beautiful rhythm and nothing looked like catching him from a long way out.

He won by 25 lengths in front of the 20,000 who had turned up and they were rewarded with a real treat.

Lord Gyllene only raced twice more without success, but, on Monday April 7 1997, he put in one of the best performances we’ll ever see in a Grand National.

Send us your views

Send your comments and contributions on your favourite ever Grand National horses to racingfeedback@sportinglife.com and if you’ve any ideas for more topics you want covering over the coming days and weeks please let us know.

Feedback from readers

Stephen Porter:

I can't say that Grittar was my favorite GN winner, but I have a great story.

My MD returned to the office after a morning hunting with the Cottesmore Hunt. He knew I was a punter and he said Frank Gilman had told him Griitar would win the Grand National, and could I put his money on for him. He also said he was running him in the Gold Cup and had a chance! Quite a few of the staff heard our conversation, and they all wanted on!

So off I went with a wad of cash to back Grittar to win the Grand National at odds of 25/1 for my colleagues. However, the devil in me, said go for the big one! So I did a massive eachway double, Gold Cup 33/1 and GN 25/1 – crazily not doing the single on either race!

Grittar ran a mighty race in the GC finishing an unpunished 6th,and before that race was already favorite to win the GN.

I never had a bet on the GN that year, and I went to Villa Park to watch my beloved Leicester City in the FA Cup Semi Final. During the game, up popped Grittar's name on the scoreboard, as winner the of the GN – gutted, then Tottenham went and beat us.

A very memorable day, for all the wrong reasons, but when I delivered my work colleagues winnings, they all couldn't believe I hadn't won a penny!!

Thom:

For me, what better a horse to remember than in 1998, the year I first followed the Grand National & even picked the winner Earth Summit.

A bay gelding bred by Celtic Cone out of Win Green Hill, he was bought by Peter Scudamore for a 6-strong partnership headed by ex-Hereford United footballer Ricky George & Aintree's press officer Nigel Payne. Never the fastest to grace the racing turf, Earth Summit possessed courage & stamina in staying over marathon trips (mostly on soft/heavy ground) & showed this winning the 1994 Scottish National as a 6yo with David Bridgwater in the saddle.

After a win in the Peter Marsh at Haydock, Earth Summit overcame a 16-month absence from the track, owing to leg injury, to win the 1997 Welsh National under Tom Jenks who would later break his leg & miss riding the Nigel Twiston Davies-trained horse in the 1998 Grand National. Step forward "the luckiest jockey" (as he put it) to get 2 Grand National winners, Carl Llewellyn to ride Earth Summit to that GN success 7 lengths ahead of the game 12st top weight Suny Bay in heavy muddy conditions for history in winning 3 different Grand Nationals.

Earth Summit was also among that select group of GN winners who could win after winning "the big one" by winning that winter's Becher Chase & although not as strongly fancied due to drier & faster ground conditions in 1999, he plugged on to finish 8th behind Bobbyjo. Retired the following year, he lived out his retirement years with his head lass Marcella Bayliss before being put down in 2005 due to diagnosis of cancer.

It does feel lost in time these days due to the changes made to the race as well as other memorable winners but Earth Summit to me is a Grand National legend in his own right, the only horse to win a Scottish, Welsh and English National & with a love of marathon tests. But for those feats & being my 1st ever GN bet too, "Digger" as he was nicknamed (partly due to his reputation of tearing up his bedding in his stable!!) is a horse I remember for inspiring my love of racing & most importantly, my love for the Grand National.

Stephen Marks:

For me the first national winner I backed Red Alligator when just a boy. Halycon days.

Davidathome:

Spanish Steps is worth a mention, a great jumper over those then awesome fences, he finished 4th, 4th, 3rd and 9th. Just think of who he ran against, Red Rum, Crisp, The Dickler and Lescargot. Steps won a Hennessy as well as being placed in a gold cup so was a class horse on his day.

Darren Ashworth:

For me it has to be Maori Venture at 28/1 , simply because it is the only time I thought I was a top tipster. I told all my friends he was not a great jumper but if he was within 5 lengths at the last he would win as he had a very strong finish. I was at the football and asked someone who had won , I still dine out him sprinting clear after the last.

Degsy59:

As with most things in popular culture the National is something that makes me feel I was born middle aged!

At 60 though with memories of at least 57 of the great races it has to be Rondetto!

Leading and still cantering when stumbling and falling in 1965. He didn't run in '66.

First over the 23rd when Popham Down did just that in 1967 only for Johnny Haine to bail out the side door, he unshipped Jeff King at the same fence a year later.

3rd behind Highland Wedding aged 13, Jeff thought he was a certainty as a 14-year-old but his mad streak got the better of him and he crashed out early on.

Winner of a Festival Handicap under 11st 5lb and a Hennessy beating What A Myth just enhances what a Golden Age for staying chaser's the 60's were.

Graham Nutter:

Having been to every single National since 1989 I've seen my fair share of great winners.

One that stands out for me is Hedgehunter, who took such a crashing fall in the 2004 National at the last (win by Amberleigh House) many feared the worst at first. Fortunately Hedgehunter got back to his feet after the screens were removed after what seemed like an eternity.

To come back the year after and triumph the way he did under the guidance of Ruby Walsh is something that will last with me forever

Kevin, East Yorkshire:

For me it has to be 1988 and Rhyme n Reason. After clattering Bechers first time round, Brendan Powell literally grabbed him up from the turf and weaved his way from last position to win an epic battle at the end with the brilliant Durham Edition.

Richard Turner:

Mr Frisk won the National in 1990 in a course record time breaking that set by 'Red Rum' in 1973. Marcus Armytage was the jockey and I had a little wager which made this all the sweeter!!

John Garrod:

I will never forget Red Rum, the greatest national horse and probably the greatest horse ever. My dad used to run the greyhound in Riccall Yorkshire and I remember him telling the story of a local farmer who came in and was just saying he was going to see this horse. Anyway when he came back he was full of it didn’t buy it but started backing it from odds of 100/1 to the day of the race when Red Rum won his first National, beating the mighty Crisp.

I still have the Red Rum Christmas card he sent us and it’s a picture of Rummy's face and the races he had been in winning on the flat at Aintree back in the day around the card and one even had him with Lester Piggott aboard in his early days. Still have the card to this day and started my love with racing.

Probably my best bet was after seeing Aldaniti win his come back race at Ascot I think on a midweek Channel 4 racing program and the story about horse and jockey you thought then if the unthinkable happens and he wins there’s a film there.

Dave Chapman:

Got to say it was also Party Politics for me but I was a bit biased as my fav jockey at the time was on the horses back. But the horse I will remember above all others was Crisp as I watch the re runs now there is still a part of me that expects to see Crisp finish in front of Rummy on just 1 viewing – although I obviously know that this is an impossibility, how Crisp ever got caught is still to this day beyond me.

Simon from Newark:

For a long time I have used an elimination method. Discarded any horse which had fallen on its previous six outings, any horse which had not won over at least three miles staying on, any horse out of the handicap, any horse whose jockey I did not fancy staying on, and any horse whose trainer I did not rate (Arrogantly, quite a few).

This usually produces a very short list from which I make my choice, quite often some at tasty prices. It came up with the likes of Maori Venture, Comply or Die, Hedgehunter and One for Arthur as well as one of those Aintree regulars, Durham Edition.

Trained by Arthur Stephenson and ridden by the excellent Chris Grant, he certainly passed the trainer and jockey test. Second twice, fifth and sixth on his two other National appearances, he was the epitome of those brave horses who make the race such a spectacle, year after year.

Dave Parker:

Moving to Devon permanently in the summer of 1988 I didn’t get much time to follow the flat season so once I had moved in all eyes were on the local national hunt scene which I prefer anyway. I remember going to Plymouth on the A38 and passing the old Buckfastliegh racecourse. This sparked my interest , when looking into the history of that course the family name of Frost kept coming up quite regularly.

So that year and for quite a time I followed Jimmy Frost and obviously backed him in the 1989 Grand National on Little Polveir I still remember jumping up and down my wife thought I had gone mad. It was a great ride by Jimmy Frost and a great training performance by Toby Balding. What I do remember was having to queue to pick up my winnings as there was no online gambling in them days. Pity we have no national this year.

Robert Jones:

West Tip.

Martyn Weston:

Earliest National memory for me when I was a very young kid was Rhyme N Reason, I was only about 7 years old and was drawn to the name and jockey colours. I remember it was very close to falling at one fence, but survived that scare and as a young kid I was made up my dad had put me 50p E/W on it.

Next up would be Seagram powering home to grab the classy Garrison Savannah. I felt a bit for my Dad that day as he was on Garrison Savannah and I was going mad when Seagram came through on the run in, it probably taught me at a young age to win with humility !

Finally, I had started to understand racing form lines far more in my teens and in 96 I was convinced Rough Quest was a good thing that year. I had got my dad to back the horse on a couple of occasions that season, partly down to one performance that just become etched in my mind when it won at Cheltenham easily beating a horse called Antonin. Ever since that run I kept looking out for Rough Quest and convinced my dad to back it in both the Gold Cup and National in 96, it ran a cracker to be placed in the Gold Cup, but it just stood out a mile to me in the National. Sometimes you just see a horse in a race and it sticks out like a sore thumb and that was Rough Quest in the National that year.

Now 25 years later and I don’t think I have had the winner since, so I definitely peaked way too soon in my ability to find the Grand National winner!

Steve G:

Easy one for me. Has to be Neptune Collonges. I used to say I wanted to see two things before I died, a proper white Christmas and a grey win the National, I was too young to rermember Nicholas Silver. I love mares, greys and bold jumping front runners and Neptune, a gelding, won numerous Grade Ones in that style, in his pomp.. It was brilliant to see him, the least regarded of the NIcholls Gold Cup Triumvirate ( with Kauto Star and Denman) do something that maybe the other two couldn't have.

Only gripe, I never thought he was going to win. Before the race I thought he was past it, he was under pressure the whole of the second circuit and even as they passed the post I thought he had just failed to get up.

Andrew Pelis:

Certainly Party Politics is right up there for me. I loved him as a young chaser – he ran in the Edward Hanmer against Celtic Shot I believe – but a run in the Gold Cup of 1991 jarred him up, otherwise he just might have been a 1991 National winner too. I rarely bet, but did have an antepost punt on Party Politics at 40/1, in January 1992.

Other horses I loved included: Zongalero, Rough And Tumble, Silent Valley (the horse who recovered from a broken leg to race and win again – and got as far as second Becher’s in 1984 before pulling up) , Northern Bay and Imperial Black.

There are many more besides.

I think the dynamics of the race have changed irrevocably now. It is a lot harder to train a horse specifically for the race and the element of a course specialist has been somewhat lost as far as the fences go. An ability to jump surrounded by other horses is still important of course. But is there such a thing as a “National horse” anymore? Maybe less so.

You can’t easily hunt round as such on the first circuit anymore and wait for the field to thin out. They are still playing dodgems long into the second circuit nowadays so luck in running still plays a part but in a different way.

So where you could hang your hat on a The Pilgarlic or a Hallo Dandy or a Greasepaint, Corbiere or Mr Snugfit in the past, to jump round and make the frame, it is maybe a more competitive race now.

Wishing everyone a safe and happy day.

George Goodenough:

Double Silk - This Somerset trained dual winner of the Cheltenham Foxhunters got into the '94 renewal off a feather weight. He adopted his bold jumping, front running style and was spring heeled and jumping the big fences for fun. Then inevitably disaster struck. A riderless Young Hustler crossed him at the fence before the Chair.

Unsighted, Double Silk never even took off and came down. It was a doubly bitter pill to swallow as he hurt himself in the process and although he returned to the course he was never the same again. He qualifies for this as he remains one of my favourite horses and he ran in the National, albeit just the once.

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