Grand National History 1919 - 1910
Aintree Grand National 1919
The 1919 Grand National now back in Liverpool following the end of the war, which ended November 1918 was won by jockey Ernie Piggott again being partnered by "Poethlyn" as the pair began the race as 11-4 favourites. The two won just over £3,500 on March the 28th with the event back in full force.
"Ballyboggan" finished second ridden by Mr. W Head as twenty-two horses ran with only seven finishing the race as those who had gotten used to easier fences in Gatwick were eased back into the reality of Aintree's high fences. "Pollen" finished in third followed by "Loch Allen" in fourth.
Aintree Grand National 1918
"Poethlyn" ridden by Ernie Piggott who had won the Grand National several years earlier paired together to win the 1918 War National Steeplchase and the last race at Gatwick before it returned to Liverpool following the end of the war. The jockey who is grandfather of Lester Piggott would return with "Poethlyn" to the Grand National in Liverpool the following year to win again then as the favourite as both trainer Harry Escott and owner Mrs. Hugh Peel also winning the event two years in a row.
Aintree Grand National 1917
Renamed for 1917 as "The War National Steeplechase" the race was again held at Gatwick and was won by "Ballymacad" ridden by Edmund Driscoll with the pair beginning with odds of 100-9. From information collected it is believed that the prize money from the 1916 and 1917 races was given to the home for blinded soldiers, which would have been an incredibly good gesture from the owners of both horses.
Aintree Grand National 1916
Following the 1915 Grand National the racecourse at Aintree was taken over by the war office making it impossible to hold the 1916 National there. The race itself was by now too much of an event to consider canceling by those close by who decided to begin a search for another location where the race could be held. That place was Gatwick racecourse, which was several hundred miles to the south and had held many racing events since it's opening in 1891. Gatwick racecourse was a popular venue for a time, but no longer exists as it was closed in 1940 and has been replaced by Gatwick airport.
A special 29-fence course was built for the race with it being market out to the same length of the Liverpool race at 4 miles and 856 yards with the name of the race also being changed to "The Racecourse Association Steeplechase". The National Hunt Committee organized the event and it had no input at all from the Aintree executive, which may explain why several history sources do not list results for this time period. The race itself was won by "Vermouth" ridden by Jack Reardon with prize money of 500 gold sovereigns as twenty-one horses competed with only one failing to complete the course, which is mainly due to the fences not being as difficult as those at Aintree.
Aintree Grand National 1915
Friday March the 26th 1915 was the date, the date the last Grand National would be run before being moved due to the Great War, which was showing no signs of ending soon. There had already been loses of lives of those linked to the great race with people like Herbert W Tyrwhitt-Drake who had ridden the past few years losing his life due to the war. The number of punters had severely reduced it was "Ally Sloper" who would win the race in Liverpool ridden by Jack Anthony who had also won in 1911 on "Glenside".
"Sunloch" hadn't returned to defend the title, but jockey William Smith had come back to try for two in a row riding "Throwl Pin" who wasn't to be confused with another jockey that shared the same name who rode "Blow Pipe" and would win the 1917 equivalent race in Gatwick. The two most experienced jockeys were Ernie Piggott who would win the first Grand National back in Liverpool after the war and Alf Newey who would not compete in the event again. Alf who had won a National before finished well in second place on "Jacobus" followed by "Father Confessor" in third.
Aintree Grand National 1914
Four horses completed the course at Aintree for the 1914 Grand National, as only thirty-nine horses would go on to complete a National from 1910 to 1919, largely due to the First World War, which would start in 1914 and see three consecutive years without a Grand National from 1916 to 1918. The National though was not interrupted in 1914, as the war would not start until later that year after the horse "Sunloch" and jockey William John Smith had recorded their victory in the race. The jockey returned for his second National riding the eight year old "Sunloch" who managed to hold off "Trianon III", "Lutteur III" and "Rory O'Moore" as the three finished in that order.
Aintree Grand National 1913
Making his final appearance in the top four at the Grand National in 1913 was "Carsey" ridden for the second time by Mr. Herbert W Tyrwhitt-Drake as the pair finished third and last as only three of the twenty-two runners completed the course this year. This was the first time since 1882 that under four horses finished the race and only one of four times in the history of the Grand National that less than four would ever pass the post.
The winning horse "Covercoat" was ridden by Percy Woodland who recorded his second victory in a Grand National after winning on the back of "Drumcree" in 1903 and it could have been three as Percy Woodland missed out in 1905 when he finished second. The only other horse to run the National in its entirety was "Irish Mail" who finished third.
Aintree Grand National 1912
"Jerry M" who had finished second in 1910 raced again as a 4-1 favourite in the Grand National, this time with jockey Ernie Piggott as the pair won the 1912 race at Aintree from "Bloodstone" in second, ridden by Mr. F Lyall whose previous best finish was fourth five years earlier. "Bloodstone" was yet another horse previously not fancied or expected to do well on the day that had managed to finish so highly placed. "Axle Pin" finished in third and was much better backed on the day with last years fourth placed finisher, "Carsey" in the same position again, with the same odds again at 100-8, but a different jockey than in 1911 National, Mr. Herbert W Tyrwhitt-Drake.
Aintree Grand National 1911
Returning to the Grand National in 1911 and going on to victory was "Glenside" who, after falling in 1910 was given little chance to perform so well mainly because he was a "broken winded" one eyed horse that the public hadn't taken to. Leading up to the race though the course was hit with torrential rain, which contributed to twenty-two of the twenty-six runners failing to finish as "Glenside" how wasn't really in the running only managed to take the lead when "Caubeen" and "Rathnally" collided after Becher's Brook.
"Glenside" enjoying such luck was ridden home by Jack Anthony to a twenty length victory followed by "Rathnally" who had been remounted as his jockey Robert Chadwick missed out on an excellent opportunity to win two Grand Nationals in a row. "Shady Girl" finished behind in third with the only other horse to finish the race "Fool-Hardy" in fourth place as both had to be remounted.
Aintree Grand National 1910
Robert Chadwick moved up a position in 1910 to win the Grand National with his horse "Jenkinstown" which he had not ridden in the event a year earlier. The pair began with odds of 100-8, much shorter than the jockey and his horse "Judas" began with some twelve months earlier, as this years pairing finished ahead of "Jerry M" who would later win the 1912 National when ridden by Ernie Piggott. In 1910 though "Jerry M" was ridden by Edmund Driscoll who himself would win the event seven years later in 1917.
The horse named "Odor" finished third as a no quote with the bookies followed by "Carsey", but it was "Glenside" who would become a horse that would exceed the expectations of all after he fell in 1910 only to return the following year to win the a National, something a "broken winded" one eyed horse would not have been thought capable of. This years winner though "Jenkinstown" was owned by Stanley Howard and trainer by Tom Coulthwaite who also trainer the winning horse "Eremon" in 1907.
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