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| Ginger McCain and Red Rum |
The
Grand National is the biggest race in the British calendar and
claiming victory represents the pinnacle of many trainers’ careers.
It requires putting forward a horse blessed with a phenomenal amount
of grit, determination and stamina, as the course is epic and
perilous in equal measures. It comes with a prize purse of £1
million, making it Europe’s richest race, and it attracts hundreds
of millions of viewers, so it is a great opportunity to shine. The
prestige associated with winning the race is also enormous. So which
trainer has enjoyed the most success at the Grand National over the
years?
Well,
it is actually a tie, as there are three trainers that have each
secured victory on four different occasions. The race began in 1839
at Aintree in Merseyside and it attracted 17 runners. Queen Victoria
was on the throne, the Whigs were in power and horseracing was very
much in its infancy. Lottery went off as the fourth favourite at 9/1
and he took the lead on the second circuit at First Brook, a lead he
held onto until the finish, winning by three lengths. Trainer George
Dockeray, a former Ascot Gold Cup winning jockey, was triumphant. The
following year he saddled Jerry, who beat Lottery – a faller –
and favourite The Nun to win the race, making it two out of two for
Dockeray.
Charity
took the 1841 renewal for William Vevers and Lord Craven, but
Dockeray was back with a vengeance the following year. This time he
saddled Gaylad, who beat stablemate Lottery and Peter Simple to win
the 1842 race, making it three out of four for Dockeray. He had to
wait a decade for his next victory, but he remained patient and it
paid off when Miss Mowbray handed him his fourth win in 1852.
Dockeray
died in 1857 and his record still stands to this day. Nobody matched
him for more than a century, but Fred Rimmel pulled off four wins
between 1956 and 1976. Rimmell was another former jockey and he went
on to become the first trainer to earn £1 million in prize money for
his owners. He also earned the nickname Mr Grand National as a result
of his prowess in the Aintree showpiece, and his journey began in
bizarre fashion in the 1956 National.
The
Queen Mother’s horse, Devon Loch, was the heavy favourite and he
justified that status by opening up a five-length lead in the run-in
to the finishing post. But then Devon Loch inexplicably jumped in the
air and belly flopped to the turf. Jockey Dick Francis tried to rouse
him, but was unsuccessful and Rimmel’s E.S.B. overtook him and
secured victory. Five years later the trainer tasted more success
when Nicolaus Silver defied odds of 28/1 to become the first grey to
win the race in 90 years. It took another nine years before Rimmel
secured more glory. In 1970, Gay Trip carried top weight but did not
seem unduly bothered as he romped to a 20-length victory. Rimmel
picked up his fourth and final win in 1976, when his 14/1 shot Rag
Trade beat the legendary Red Rum to land the race.
By
that time, Ginger McCain already had two wins under his belt, and Red
Rum had claimed both of them. In 1973, the superstar chaser was 15
lengths behind Crisp after the final hurdle, but produced a stunning
burst of energy to overhaul his rival and win by three-quarters of a
length. It is widely considered the greatest Grand National in
history. He carried top weight the following year but still won, and
then went on to win the Scottish Grand National, becoming the only
horse to claim both races in the same year. Red Rum was always
burdened with top weight and he finished second in 1975 and then
second again to Rag Trade in 1976. But in 1977 he cemented his
greatness by completing a Grand National hat-trick aged 12 in what is
ranked as one of the greatest sporting moments in British history.
Remarkably, after 27 years without a victory, McCain picked up a
fourth win to move level with Dockeray and Rimmel when Amberleigh
House won the 2004 renewal.
A
few trainers have won three races, but nobody has come close to
matching that trio in recent years. Of the current crop, Nigel
Twiston-Davies leads the way with two wins - Earth Summit in 1998
and Bindaree
in 2002.
Leading lights such as Willie Mullins, Gordon Elliott and Paul
Nicholls have only managed one victory, illustrating just how
difficult this race is to win. Star trainers such as Nicky Henderson
and Dan Skelton have never won this race, so for Twiston-Davies to
claim two victories is a great achievement. If you take a look at
the horse
racing spread betting,
you will see that Twiston-Davies saddles one of the leading
contenders for this year's race in Blaklion, who finished seventh in
2016 and sixth last year, so he could be moving up to three, and then
the McCain-Rimmel-Dockeray record would be within his sights.
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