English Grand National Fan Blog » Grand National Winners

Grand National Champion Jockeys – Ruby Walsh

admin — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 13:08:12 +0000

Over recent years it has been rare for jockeys to win more than one Grand National. Winning that race is considered to be one of the pinnacle achievements in national hunt racing, but it tends to be something that most jockeys achieve only once. One jockey who has gone against the trend is Ruby Walsh who won the race both in 2000 and in 2005.
In 2000 he rode Papillon, trained by Ted Walsh and owned by Mrs J. Maxwell Moran and in 2005 he rode Hedgehunter, trained by Willie Mullins and owned by Trevor Hemmings. They came in at 10/1 and 7/1 respectively and had both been favourites. That in itself is quite remarkable as favourites rarely win the Grand National. Apart from those wins, only seven favourites or joint favourites have won the race since 1960.

Ruby Walsh is an Irish jockey who comes from County Kildare. When he won his first Grand National he was only 20 years old. In the same year he won the Irish Grand National too. He followed up his Grand National win in 2005 by winning the Welsh, the Scottish and the Irish Grand Nationals. Walsh has ridden 1,400 winners and 25 of those have been at the Cheltenham Festival and hence has always been a Cheltenham betting favourite.
He regularly rides for two stables, one each side or the Irish Channel. The Irish stable is in Calverstown, County Kildare and belongs to Willie Mullins, and the English one is Paul Nichols’ in Somerset. For Nichols he has ridden both of the famous duo, Kuato Star and Denman, to several victories.

He has experienced more than his fair share of injuries during his career to date. These include in chronological order a broken leg, a second break of the same leg, a fractured wrist, another fractured wrist, a dislocated hip, a fracture of his other hip, a cracked his elbow, a dislocation of both shoulders, a cracked vertebra, an emergency removal of the spleen, a fractured left ankle, and a broken left arm, in fact it was broken in two places. Such are the dangers of being a jump jockey.

Ruby Walsh has over 500 winners to date and he is set to continue to only increase his status in the future. He is viewed very much as a hero of jump racing by all who are involved in the sport.

2009 Grand National Winner

admin — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 03:29:00 +0000

The winner of the 2009 Grand National was Mon Mome coming in with odds of 100-1 and becoming the first horse with such long shot odds to win since Foinavon’s lucky win in 1967. Mon mome, meaning Our Kid was jockeyed by Liam Treadwell who had no notable wins prior to this his first ever Grand National.

The victorious horse was trained by Venetia Williams who became the second female trainer to win a Grand National. Previous winning horses trained by Williams include winners of the 1998 Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup and King George Chase, the 1999 Murphy’s Gold Cup and the Grand Annual Chase at the Cheltenham Festival. Regarding the Grand National Venetia Williams trained 13 runners and her best finish as trainer prior to her 2009 win with Mon Mome was tenth place in 2008 with the very same horse.

The 2009 Grand National had an exciting finish as with just two fences left before the finish Mon Mome was battling it out with former Grand National winner Comply Or Die. Fortunately carrying a good six pounds less in weight Mon Mome was in good stead to take the lead to the finishing post. Should lady luck not have favoured long shot horse Mon Mome, then rival Comply or Die would have made his second win and become the first horse to do so in the Grand National since the famous three times champion Red Rum. Mon Mome was well positioned from the start and was the surprise winner of the 2009 Grand National by far.

2010 Grand National Winners

admin — Sat, 30 May 2009 16:28:00 +0000

No sooner had the 2009 Grand National winner been declared and punters were already on the lookout for predictions and tips for 2010. Although it will not be declared until January 2010 which horses will be considered for the Grand National, it will not be until April 3^rd 2010 when the final 40 of the 100 horses entered will be named.

However even now some horses are already being considered to run and amongst them or some well known faces such as last year’s winner Mon Mome, State of Play, Big Fella Thanks, Black Apalachi, Comply Or Die, My Will and Butlers Cabin.

All tips for the 2010 Grand National will be made available as soon as all the running horses are declared. Until then, despite some bookmakers already taking ante-post bets, it is highly recommended that punters hold off placing any kind of bets until it is certain their chosen horses are even racing. If it turns out the horse you staked your cash on does not run then you immediately lose it all.

The safest way is to wait nearer the time of the event, which is set for Saturday April 10^th. Once a list of the 40 running horse becomes available better odds will be put together. The best chance of getting back some kind of return for your Grand National flutters is to place your money ‘each-way’ on a horse. This means that you will be guaranteed a payout should you horse come in first, second third or even fourth.

Grand National Winners

admin — Fri, 08 May 2009 03:28:00 +0000

Without a doubt the most famous Grand National winner is Red Rum who won this world famous race 3 times over. The first win was in 1973 with jockey Brain Fletcher in the saddle and history repeated itself the following year of 1974 again with Fletcher taking the reins. Red Rum became the winner for the third time in 1977, this time with jockey Tommy Stack, and become the first ever horse to cap 3 Grand National wins.

2005 winner Hedgehunter became the first horse in 17 years to carryover 11st to victory with jockey Ruby Walsh taking the seat. Despite almost making a debut win the previous year 2004, Hedgehunter fell at the final fence and Amberleigh House went on to win.

Comply or Die, won the Grand National in 2008 but finished runner up in 2009 to Mon Mome, a long shot with odds of 100/1. Mon Mome was steered to victory by jockey Liam Tread and was the first 100/1 shot to win the Grand National since Foinavon’s lucky win in 1967 at the world famous Aintree course. Foinavon had a truly lucky win indeed which came as a result of a loose horse causing a pile up at a fence, giving Foinavon a clear run to the finishing line.

Other Grand National winners include Silver Birch in 2007, Numbersixvalverde in 2006 with odds at 33/1, 2003 winner Monty’s Pass, Bindaree in 2002, Red Marauder in 2001 and millennium winner Papillon in 2000.