How Many Riders In The Grand National

The Grand National is a National Hunt horse race held annually at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool, England. First run in 1839, it is a handicap steeplechase over an official distance of about 4 miles and 2½ furlongs (4 miles 514 yards (6.907 km)), with horses jumping 30 fences over two laps. It is the most valuable jump race in Europe, with a prize fund of £1 million in 2017. The first ‘official’ Grand National was run at Aintree Racecourse in 1839 and, in 172 runnings since, the celebrated steeplechase has claimed the life of one jockey. The tragedy occurred on March 12, 1862, long before safety equipment, such as helmets and body protection, became compulsory and in the absence of adequate medical care.

The 1993 Grand National (officially the Martell Grand National Chase Handicap Grade 3) was scheduled on 3 April 1993 to be the 147th running of the Grand Nationalhorse race, held annually at Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool, England.^[1]

It was the first and so far only time that the steeplechase was declared void, after 30 of the 39 runners began and carried on racing despite there having been a false start. Seven of the field even went on to complete the course, with Esha Ness crossing the finishing post first, in what would have been the second-fastest time.^[2]

The Jockey Club decided not to re-run the race, and as a result it has often been called 'the race that never was'.^[3][4] Bookmakers were forced to refund an estimated £75 million in bets staked.^[2][4] The Jockey Club launched an inquiry which led to a number of changes in the starting and recall procedures in future races.^[5]

Circumstances[edit]

False start[edit]

The BBC's lead commentator Peter O'Sullevan describes the second false start.^[6]

The meeting at Aintree had been beset by problems before the race. Fifteen animal rights protesters invaded the course near the first fence (as had also happened at the 1991 Grand National) resulting in a delayed start.^[3] A first false start was caused by several riders becoming tangled in the starting tape. Starter Keith Brown, who was officiating his last National before retirement, waved his red recall flag and a second official, Ken Evans, who was situated 100 yards further down the track, in turn signalled to the leading runners to turn around. At the second attempt, the tape became tangled again – around the neck of jockey Richard Dunwoody – and Brown called another false start. However, this time his recall flag did not unfurl as he waved it.^[6] As a result, 30 of the 39 riders set off around the track, oblivious to the recall.^[2][7]

First circuit[edit]

Officials, trainers and the crowd tried desperately to halt the race, but the majority of the field continued racing. By the Becher's Brook (the sixth fence) only one of the 30 still competing had fallen: outsider Farm Week at the fourth, who hampered David's Duky in the process.^[7]

Royal Athlete had gained popularity with the public after finishing third in the Cheltenham Gold Cup and was sent to post at 17/2, providing Ben de Haan, the 1983 winning jockey, with his 11th and final ride in the race. He fell at Valentine's (the ninth).

One fence later, outsider Senator Snugfit fell. The BBC's commentary team, consisting of Peter O'Sullevan, John Hanmer and Jim McGrath continued to describe proceedings, periodically reminding viewers that 'it's got to be a void race'.^[6][7]

It was not until the water jump – the final fence of the first circuit – that many riders became aware of the situation and pulled up, including champion jockey Peter Scudamore on Captain Dibble, Garrison Savannah, and Zeta's Lad, who was widely considered by tipsters as the form horse in the field,^[8] having raced unbeaten in his five starts that season, including beating Romany King in the Racing Post Chase at Kempton two months prior.^[9] Most of the horses at the rear were pulled up too, including Stay on Tracks, David's Duky, Direct, Mister Ed and the tailed-off Quirinus.^[1]

Captain Dibble was the Scottish Grand National winner in 1992 and vied for favouritism for the Grand National until a few days before the race. Scudamore had turned down a host of competitors to take the ride in his 13th National, and the pair were sent off at 9/1. Scudamore saw trainer Martin Pipe waving at him near the water jump to stop. The jockey had never won the National in his previous 12 attempts, and retired from racing a short time later.

Party Politics, who won the 1992 Grand National with partner Carl Llewellyn, was also pulled up after the water jump when in a good position. Since his Aintree victory the previous April he had run unimpressively in two chases without Llewellyn in the saddle before they were reunited to win the Greenhalls Gold Cup at Haydock in February. As defending champion, and with his jockey taking his fourth ride in a Grand National, the horse was popular with the public who had backed him down to 7/1 favourite at the start.^[10]

Second circuit[edit]

Fourteen horses continued racing onto the second circuit, led by Sure Metal and Howe Street who between them held a decent lead until they both fell at the 20th fence.^[6][7]

This put Romany King into the lead, which he held on to until being passed at the final fence and finishing third. The horse had been narrowly beaten by Party Politics in the previous year's National but had won just one of his six races since, a moderate event at Exeter in November. He shared pre-race favouritism with Party Politics until shortly before the start when he drifted to 15/2 joint-second favourite. His Irish jockey, Adrian Maguire, was one of nine riders making their debut in the race.^[3]

One fence later, at the 21st, Joyful Noise refused, Paco's Boy fell, as did the tailed-off The Gooser. Interim Lib unseated his rider at the Canal Turn and a tailed-off Bonanza Boy refused at the same fence. Seven runners remained and went on to complete the course: Romany King, The Committee, Esha Ness, Cahervillahow, Givus A Buck, On The Other Hand and a distant Laura's Beau. As they crossed the Melling Road before approaching the penultimate fence, commentator Peter O'Sullevan declared the unfolding events 'the greatest disaster in the history of the Grand National.'^[6][7]

How Many Jockeys In The Grand National

Peter O'Sullevan describes the climax of the 'race'.^[6]

As they came to the elbow, on the 494-yard run-in to home, Cahervillahow, Romany King, The Committee and Esha Ness remained tight and vying for position. But it was 50/1 shot Esha Ness, ridden by John White and trained by Jenny Pitman, who crossed the line first, in the second-fastest time in Grand National history.^[4][11] Cahervillahow came home second despite trailing in fourth at the elbow, Romany King was third and The Committee fourth. Givus A Buck completed in fifth, with on the Other Hand and Laura's Beau completing the seven finishers of the National that never was.^[6][7]

Aftermath[edit]

Initially there was confusion as to what would happen next. Keith Brown, the race starter, was interviewed briefly by the BBC and alluded to the possibility that the nine jockeys who noticed and obeyed his recall could be eligible to take part in a re-run. Several jockeys said that they thought the officials attempting to stop them were actually protestors.^[3] Esha Ness's jockey John White said of the latter stages of the race: 'I could see there were only a few horses around, but I thought the others had fallen or something.'^[2]

Romany King's jockey Adrian Maguire said: 'Going to The Chair, I wondered what the hell was going on because I saw a fellow wandering nonchalantly across the fence. There were two cones in front of it, but the horses still in the race all kept going.'^[12]

The Jockey Club later declared the race void, ruled out any re-running of it, and launched an inquiry. Bookmakers were forced to refund an estimated £75 million in bets staked.^[2][4]

Zeta's Lad trainer John Upson was among those trainers who were particularly angry, feeling, correctly as it transpired, that this was his only chance to have a leading contender in a National. Before the race Upson had said: 'I'm not someone who always thinks their horse is going to win, but this year I just have a feeling.' The horse was in mid-division taking the water jump but was instantly pulled up as jockey Robbie Supple, riding in his third National, realised the race was not on. Upson later revealed: 'The reason I really blew my top was, that once the initial fiasco had happened, there was the starter standing there saying, 'Right, I'm disqualifying everything, apart from the nine that didn't go. I'll start the race again with nine runners.' At that stage I just thought the world had gone completely mad. The adrenaline was going and I was jumping up and down.'^[13]

Investigation[edit]

An inquiry was chaired by High Court judge Sir Michael Connell, the deputy senior steward of the Jockey Club since 1988.^[14] His report apportioned some blame to Keith Brown for allowing the horses to get too close to the tape, but most blame to Ken Evans, the official further down the track, for failing to notice the second false start.^[15] Brown retired later that year and said: 'It was very sad for all concerned. Whatever could go wrong that day did.'

A working group produced a 34-page report with recommendations following the official inquiry, which was approved by the Jockey Club. Considerable public discussion had arisen over the possibility of introducing electronic devices, such as horns or flashing lights, to provide a fail-safe starting and recall system. The use of modern technology however was dismissed on the basis of a lack of total success overseas, and being open to sabotage and technical failure.^[5]

The tape at the start line was made more sturdy, consisting of three strands instead of one, and in a more distinctive pattern; the width of the start was also reduced. If a false start is called, two officials (in contact with the starter by radio) will wave fluorescent yellow flags at jockeys. Further up the course, a third official will be positioned so as to arrest those who fail to notice the two initial flags. If necessary, the third official will follow the field in a car to stop them.^[5]

Andrew Parker Bowles, who chaired the working group which produced the recommendations, said he was confident that the exceptional circumstances of the 1993 National would never be repeated: 'You start 7,000 races a year with flagmen and it went wrong just three times last year, but one of them was the Grand National. It won't happen again.'^[5]

Race card[edit]

References[edit]

1. ^ ^abcd3:50 Aintree Result, Racing Post, 3 April 1993
2. ^ ^abcdeOn this day: 3 April 1993 -Grand National ends in 'shambles', bbc.co.uk
3. ^ ^abcdPaul Hayward, 'Racing: Day of disaster for National', The Independent, 4 April 1993
4. ^ ^abcdJohn White, '3 April 1993: Esha Ness 'wins' the Grand National that never was', The Guardian, 3 April 2010
5. ^ ^abcdRichard Edmundson, 'Racing: National inquiry keeps faith in flag-waving', The Independent, 26 August 1993
6. ^ ^abcdefgBBC Live Coverage, 3 April 1993
7. ^ ^abcdefClass of 93Archived 26 November 2010 at the Wayback Machine, Grand National Anorak
8. ^'Zeta's Lad to vindicate Upson's instinct: A chaser with a perfect record this season is selected by Richard Edmondson to maintain the sequence' - Richard Edmondson, Racing: 147th Grand National, The Independent, 3 April 1993
9. ^1993 Racing Post Chase result, Racing Post
10. ^Party Politics' career record, Racing Post
11. ^John White, '3 April 1993: Esha Ness 'wins' the Grand National that never was', The Guardian, Saturday 3 April 2010
12. ^Racing: Grand National, The Independent, 4 April 1993
13. ^'Racing: Ten years after and the farce runs on', The Independent, 30 March 2003
14. ^Inquiry: 1993 Grand NationalArchived 18 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Jockey Club
15. ^David Lister, 'Officers, gentlemen and a Grand National flag chap', The Independent, 15 June 1993

External links[edit]

• 1993 race at Grand National World.

The 2020 edition of the Grand National has made history….for all the wrong reasons.

It is the first year that the iconic showpiece has been cancelled prior to the starter’s orders since the Second World War.

There have been a couple of aberrations – more on those shortly – but all told the 2020 edition of the Grand National will be the first time that the race hasn’t been contested at all since 1945.

It’s an absolute tragedy, so let’s hope that it’s another 75 years before the next cancellation!

Here’s a rundown of all the Grand National cancellations from 1839 – the first official running of the race – to the present day.

Grand National Cancellations and Postponements

World War I (1916-1918)

Funnily enough, for this three-year stint people had more important things going on in their lives than a horse race.

The First World War era as the first time in nearly 80 years that the Grand National had to be cancelled, with Aintree doubling up as a base for the War Office during the conflict with Germany.

Amazingly, such is the gung-ho spirit of the racing community, an alternative to the Grand National was staged.

At the now defunct Gatwick Racecourse, those not directly involved in the war efforts hastily arranged the War National Steeplechase, and while the results are not officially recognised in the Grand National pantheon these were still races that involved the best staying horses of the era.

World War II (1941-1945)

One again old hostilities with Germany raised their head during the 1940s, and once again Aintree Racecourse was commandeered as a base for British troops throughout the Second World War.

This time there would be no replacement – be it directly or in spirit – as all efforts were put into defending home soil from the Germans.

The Race That Never Was (1993)

How Many Riders In The Grand National Park

From the Second World War until 1993 – an incredible 48-year stretch – the Grand National was run without any complications.

And, in truth, there was nothing stopping the action from unfolding in 1993 either….apart from the antics of those trying to oversee the race, that is.

In unprecedented scenes rarely seen at any meeting in the UK – let alone one of the biggest races in the world, the Grand National had to be voided after a false start and a series of bizarre coincidences meant that the action could not be restarted.

When the starter’s tape as raised, one jockey unfortunately became entangled in it, which caused carnage between his horse and those around him on the starting line.

That forced a false start to be declared, but 30 of the 39 horses carried on running as their jockeys were unaware of the kerfuffle unfolding behind them.

Aintree officials tried desperately to intervene, running onto the track and waving red flags, but none of the jockeys took the intervention seriously – preparations for the race had been halted earlier by a group of protestors, and most in the field believed the officials were also pranksters.

In the end, the vast majority of the field ran a good couple of miles before stopping while seven went on to complete the course – completely oblivious to the fact that the race had been abandoned.

Legendary commentator Peter O’Sullevan labelled it the ‘greatest disaster in the history of the Grand National’, and it’s hard to disagree with him.

The Race That *Almost* Never Was (1997)

Another entry to the pantheon of Grand National cancellations was narrowly avoided in 1997.

The 1990s were plagued by bomb threats at sporting events from a group claiming to be connected to the IRA, and the Grand National of ’97 was the latest to become embroiled in the group’s shenanigans.

How Many Female Jockeys In Grand National 2019

Two coded bomb threats were sent to Aintree officials, and they had no choice but to evacuate the track of the 60,000 punters in attendance, jockeys, trainers, owners, stable staff, media employees and local residents.

Police and security services placed a lockdown on the course and carried out a series of controlled explosions, meaning that an estimated 20,000 people had to make do without theirs cars, house keys and other personal effects for the weekend – many generous Merseysiders put up stranded racegoers for the night.

Eventually, Aintree passed a safety inspection, and the 1997 Grand National was allowed to take place on the Monday, with 20,000 free tickets given away by race officials.

In the end, one of the most controversial editions of the race of all time was won by the 14/1 shot Lord Gyllene.

The Coronavirus Outbreak (2020)

It was a global pandemic unlike anything the vast majority of us had ever witnessed away from cinema screens.

The coronavirus pandemic changed everybody’s lives, and it became pretty obvious rather quickly as it spread rapidly from February onwards that all major sport – including the Grand National – would have to be cancelled in order to fight the spread.

Plans had been made to run the race behind closed doors, but such notions were scuppered when the government advised a ban on all non-necessary travel and interaction.

Has A Jockey Ever Died In The Grand National

Hopes to hold the 2020 Grand National later in the year were also scrapped, meaning that the coronavirus was responsible for only the ninth cancellation in 200 years of the National prior to raceday.