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The post-war years put Aintree to the test. Despite the renovations and new audiences, the course experienced economic hard times, putting the future of its premier race into doubt. In 1965, Tophams announced that they were selling the property to a developer. Cries of doom went up in the years following, as fans and critics anticipated “The Last Grand National.”

Racing at Aintree had a bizarre bright moment in 1967, when a horse with a tendency to fall caught the nation’s eye—Foinavon. The long shot had a history of failing to challenge and was 100/1 going into the Grand National. Then, when his jockey couldn’t make the assigned 10 stone weight, an unfamiliar rider, John Buckingham, was called in as a late replacement. Bookmakers deemed Foinavon a “no-hoper.”

Through the first circuit Foinavon trailed the field, as expected. The front runners took Becher’s Brook on the second lap without fail. Ahead of the 23rd fence, a riderless horse had taken the lead, Popham Down, and he decided not to jump. Instead, he headed sideways across the track.

Sensing something threatening, the leaders also refused the narrow fence, resulting in the most chaotic pile-up in Grand National history. It was havoc as runners stalled, riders were thrown off, and a few horses took off down the course in the opposite direction.

Read More >> The Grand National: Surviving Hard Times

Between 1941 and 1945, Aintree was closed once again to be used for military purposes, but this time no replacement track was assigned. Between Bogskar’s win in 1940 and the victory of Lovely Cottage in 1946, the Grand National was suspended for five years. The course was converted for use as a base for U.S. troops. Of interest, one of the American soldiers stationed there during World War II would later become a co-owner of Team Spirit, winner of the Grand National in 1964.

In 1947, at the request of Prime Minister Clement Attlee and “in the interests of British industry,” Grand National Race Day was for the first time moved to Saturday. That seemed to make no difference to Caughoo, the 8-year-old who completed the heavy track to win at 100/1.

Through all of these years, the racecourse at Aintree was owned by Lord Sefton and operated under lease. But in 1949, he sold the course to family-owned Tophams Limited. The final price was £275,000. The company was then chaired by a dynamic and forward-thinking woman—Mrs. Mirabel Topham.

Topham was the daughter of a successful publican, who managed London’s Theatre Royal Haymarket. In her youth, she became an actress and performed on the stage of the Gaiety Theatre. When she joined the board of Tophams Limited in 1934 at the age of 42, she took on her greatest role ever. She would not only own the Grand National—she would become the Grand National for three decades.

Read More >> Change Comes to the Grand National

Moifaa’s Grand National win in 1904 was remarkable in a number of ways. The horse came all the way from New Zealand, but supposedly nearly died when the ship carrying him was struck by a violent storm in the Irish Sea outside Liverpool. As the vessel began to sink, Moifaa could not be loaded into a lifeboat. He allegedly had to swim 50 miles to an uninhabited island, where he was finally rescued by fishermen.

This story was widely reported in the press at the time, but later proved to be a fabrication. Although it was true the horse made the journey from New Zealand by sea, it was another horse that nearly drowned. Moifaa’s boat came in safely, in more ways than one. He outlasted 1900 winner Ambush and a late challenge by Detail at Becher’s Brook on the second circuit to finish ahead by eight lengths at 25/1.

The first and only Wales-trained winner, Kirkland from Pembrokeshire, conquered Aintree in 1905 after coming home behind Moifaa the year before. Then, in 1908, the first American-bred winner came in—10-year-old Rubio—a former hunting and harness horse retrained for racing.

Read More >> Horse Racing into the 20th Century

During the 19th century, The Grand National established its pedigree as the world’s greatest steeplechase, drawing the best horses, the top riders, and the biggest crowds ever seen in the sport. Aintree’s annual event became the scene of high drama and a focal point of national attention. Legends were born that live on even today.

At that very first meeting in 1839, Captain Becher was mounted on Conrad, trying to reprise his 1836 victory on the course and better his third place finish at Maghull in 1838. He was leading through the first five fences of the initial circuit, but became unseated while crossing the sixth, a water jump, and fell in. After losing the race, Becher remarked, “I never knew water tasted so foul without whisky in it.” To this day, Fence 6 at Aintree is its most famous jump, known as Becher’s Brook.

Trainer G. Dockeray had the first two winners of the Grand National, following up on Lottery’s victory with a win by Jerry in 1840. Jerry was owned by Mr. Elmore, who had another winner with Gay Lad in 1842. In the meantime, the first mare was able to cross the finish line ahead of the pack—Lord Craven’s Charity in 1841.

After the race changed to the handicap format in 1843, no horse, owner, trainer or jockey was able to reenter the Winner’s Enclosure—not until 1851. That’s when the Grand National’s first great champion was crowned, Mr. Osbourne’s Abd-El-Kader. C. Greene rode the 8-year-old to victory at 9 stone 12 in 1850. The next year, T. Abbott took the reins and the honours carrying 10 stone 4.

Read More >> Horse Racing: The Grand National: Early Winners

Often referred to as the world’s greatest jump race, England’s annual Grand National Steeplechase is a true test of both horse and jockey. It covers one of the longest distances in closed-circuit horse racing—two laps of a two-and-a-quarter-mile, left-handed turf course marked by 16 challenging fences and travelled by 40 fierce competitors.

Hosted at the Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool for more 160 years, the Grand National is a handicap open to 6-year-olds and up. The winner stands to claim £500,000 or more from a total purse of £9 million. This is the crowning event of three days of race festivities held each April, drawing a crowd of up to 70,000 to see the race in person, and joined by an estimated 600 million viewers who watch the live televised broadcast.

Jumping Begins in Liverpool

Official records show the first running of England’s Grand National was on Tuesday, 26th February, 1839 and won by a horse called Lottery. At that time, the race was known as the Grand Liverpool Steeplechase, and its history goes back even further. It was actually the culmination of a decade of Liverpool racing events organized by local innkeeper William Lynn.

Lynn had started out in the 1820s by sponsoring a hare coursing event named the Waterloo Cup after his property, the Waterloo Hotel. In 1829, he leased some land at Aintree from Lord Sefton and, with the assistance of Lord Molyneux, set up a grandstand for flat racing.

On 7th July the first Croxteth Stakes took place, with a bottle full of sovereigns placed in the footings of the 9-furlong course. A horse known as Mufti took the prize in front of some 40,000 observers.

Read More >> Horse Racing: The Great Chase: England’s Grand National