Grand National History 1959 - 1950
Aintree Grand National 1959
The 1959 Grand National was very similar to the 1958 race in the sense that three of the previous years top four horses again finished in the top four and the usual suspects riding recent horses, which performed very well coming back again. It was therefore little surprise when "Wyndburgh", "Mr What" and "Tiberetta" all finished from second to fourth with "Mr What" in third as 6-1 favourite and Tom Taaffe in the saddle.
The surprise on the surface of it may have seemed to be that "Oxo" who had not finished in the top four of a Grand National before 1959 won the race, but only to the outsiders. Those who knew Michael Schudamore was to be riding the exceptionally fast horse betted wisely reducing the horse's odds to 8-1 just prior to the race as it won and won well.
Aintree Grand National 1958
The impressive "Mr What" won the 1958 Grand National for owner Mr. D J Coughan, jockey Arthur Freeman and Irish trainer and former Grand National jockey Tom Taaffe. The team began at 18-1 and was pushed hard in a race that featured thirty-one horses and many fan favourites such as the returning "Wyndburgh" who began as the favourite at 6-1. "Wyndburgh" did however finish fourth while again being ridden by Mr. M Batchelor with "Tibberetta" in second and "Green Drill" in third.
Aintree Grand National 1957
The 1957 Grand National was won by eleven year-old "Sundew" on the 29th of March with the horse being ridden by Fred Winter who had raced in the National on three previous occasions, failing to finish each time. The horse was owned by Mrs. Geoffrey Kohn who was the third female owner in three years to win the Grand National following on from Mrs. W Welman in 1955 and Mrs. Leonard Carver in 1956.
Second in the race was "Wyndburgh" who would finish in the top four three times in the six years from 1957 without winning the race and even being installed as favourite in 1958. "Tiberetta" was next in third and would also finish in the top four three times over the next few years ridden twice by Mr. A Oughton who rode "Eagle Lodge" to four a year earlier followed by "Glorious Twelfth" in fourth.
Aintree Grand National 1956
Dave Dick won the 1956 Grand National bringing to an end his quest for victory, which spanned several years and saw him finish in the top four on three occasions. The horse Dave rode was called "E.S.B" and would shouldn't really have won, but did so following a strange occurrence. "E.S.B" was in second place after that last fence chasing after the Queen Mother's well-fancied "Devon Loch" who for no reason at all seemed to try and jump a non-existent fence causing the horse to flop onto his belly as "E.S.B" ran on to win.
Dick Francis, who was the jockey riding "E.S.B" was left confused by the events and never managed to win a National in his future years but became quite a famous author. "Gentle Moya" finished second followed by 1954 winner "Royal Tan" ridden by Mr. Tom Taaffe with the pair in at 28-1. The fourth horse to finish the race was "Eagle Lodge" a 66-1 outside who stayed ahead of another five finishers from twenty-nine that raced.
Aintree Grand National 1955
Pat Taaffe who finished fourth in 1953 returned to win the Grand National in 1955 on "Quare Times" with the pair winning from 100-9. The jockey would win the Grand National for a second time fifteen years later on "Gay Trip" who would be trained by the famous Fred Rimell that year. Another Taaffe, Tom Taaffe would finish third on "Carey's Cottage" with "Tudor Line" sandwiched in between the two in second place for the second year in a row.
Aintree Grand National 1954
For only the first time since 1935 when twenty-seven horses ran the Grand National would the race again begin with under thirty starters as twenty-nine horses made up the field with several horses and jockeys that had faired very well in recent years in attendance. "Royal Tan" would go on to win the event ridden by Bryan Marshall who became a dual winner followed by "Tudor Line" and jockey Mr. G Slack in second.
"Irish Lizard" the 15-2 favourite from the twenty-nine would finish third ridden by Michael Schudamore with Tom Taaffe who would later train the 1958 winner "Mr What" finishing fourth on 10-1 horse "Churchtown".
Aintree Grand National 1953
The Irish-trained horse "Early Mist" won the 1953 Grand National and was in fact trained by non other than Vincent O'Brien who would go on to win three Nationals in a row with three different horses from 1953 to 1955. "Early Mist" would never again finish in the top four at a National but jockey Bryan Marshall and owner Joe Griffin would, as they were to return with "Royal Tan" the following year. "Early Mist" began the race at 20-1 and was one of only five horses to finish with "Mont Tremblant" ridden by Dave Dick finishing second followed by "Irish Lizard" and "Overshadow" in third and fourth place.
Aintree Grand National 1952
Jockey Arthur Thompson and trainer Neville Crump both became dual winners of the Grand National in 1952 when the pair won for the second time in the big race at Aintree, this time with "Teal". The race did however have to be re-started as the forty-seven runners charged the tape the first time around causing a twelve-minute delay before it began again. It's recorded that the winning jockey had quipped that "I thought I would be in the winner's enclosure by now!" something which he would end up in, albeit a little later than he would have thought.
Michael Schudamore who would later win the National in 1959 finished second on "Legal Joy" with "Wot No Sun" and jockey Dave Dick in third as Dave Dick would return several times to such a loft position winning the race four years later. The fourth horse to finish was "Uncle Barney" who began at 100-1 followed by six others that would complete the race.
Aintree Grand National 1951
The 1951 Grand National started with an error when Leslie Firth pressed the lever with half of the runners still milling about. The race was not recalled and the thirty-six jockeys who began the race desperately tried to get their mounts in the race. Many of the horses fell early mainly due to this with only five horses left at the end of the first circuit. The horse, which won was another mare "Nickel Coin" ridden by John Bullock with the pair having had odds of 40-1 followed by "Royal Tan" in second and "Derrinstown" who had to be remounted by jockey Mr. A Power finishing third and last as only three horses completed the course.
Aintree Grand National 1950
Two years on from his victory on "Sheila's Cottage" jockey Arthur Thompson rode "Wot No Sun" to second place behind 10-1 joint favourite "Freebooter" who in one of only eleven favourites to win the Grand National this century up to 2004. Forty-nice horses ran on the day, which was six more than the year before with seven of those finishing the race with "Acthon Major" at 33-1 in third and "Rowland Roy" who began at 40-1 in fourth.
|
