The Grand National tournament is arguably the most exciting horse race in the annual racing calendar. The fence presents a bigger challenge than other races in the UK, and the distances pose an endurance test to even tough horses.
For horse racing punters, the Grand National 888Sport offers the best odds from this April event. Besides the exciting betting opportunities the tournament presents, it offers some amazing moments worth watching. Here are the three most memorable Grand National moments in history.
The Fall of Devon Loch
The 1956 Grand National went down in history books as one of the most memorable horse racing moments of all time. Devon Loch was in the blink of winning this prestigious race but failed in the end. Riding the Queen Mother’s horse, Devon Loch fell and landed on his belly only a few yards to the winning post on the last final straight.
While Dick Francis attempted to cajole the horse, Loch could not finish the race. Much to the anguish of the hopeful jockey, ESB claimed the prize. The Queen Mother said that’s the nature of racing after the disappointment, although many theories floated around in an attempt to understand Lock’s strange behavior that day. However, nobody truly knows why the horse reacted that way at the Aintree racecourse.
Foinavon’s victory
How many racehorses can boast of claiming a historic win as they were the slowest in every competition of the day? Probably none, but Foinavon. The Irish racehorse won the 1967 Grand National despite being the outright underdog with pre-race odds of 100/1. In fact, both the horse owner and trainer weren’t in the stands during the race day.
Under normal circumstances, Foinavon stood no chance of winning, but this Grand National event yielded an unusual incident that gave him an excellent chance. Popham Down veered to his right during the 23rd fence and caused a huge pile-up, and most horses in the race were pulled down by it.
Being the slowest in the race, Foinavon could easily evade the chaos since he was lagging a little behind the others. He soon established a solid 309-lengtgh lead with only six fences left in the race. Many horses tried to make a comeback in the race, but that was in vain. Foinavon easily rode through the winning post with a huge margin.
Red Rum shocks everyone.
Red Rum is among the greatest names in UK’s horse racing history. Although he didn’t have a great start, trainer Ginger McCain believed in his ability and started training the horse on the sand. However, his first major victory was recorded in 1973 during the Grand National.
This win was quite memorable as his arch-rival, Crisp, led the race all the way and even took charge at one point with a whopping 30 lengths. By the last fence, Crisp was 15 lengths ahead of Red Rum. However, Red Rum didn’t give up. Instead, he came with a thundering speed, making up the difference during the final stretch.
The Ginger McCain-trained racer managed to outrank Crisp by ¾ of a length. The race is often considered among Grand National history’s closest and most exciting victory.