1967 Grand National
1967 Grand National | |
---|---|
Grand National | |
Location | Aintree Racecourse |
Date | 8 April 1967 |
Winning horse | Foinavon |
Jockey | John Buckingham |
Trainer | John Kempton |
Owner | Cyril Watkins |
Conditions |
Archive highlights of the 1967 Grand National (BBC) |
The 1967 Grand National was the 121st renewal of the world-famous Grand National steeplechase that took place at Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool, England, on 8 April 1967. The race is best remembered for being won by rank outsider Foinavon at odds of 100/1, after being the only horse to avoid a mêlée at the 23rd fence and jump it at the first attempt.[1]
Rutherfords has been hampered, and so has Castle Falls; Rondetto has fallen, Princeful has fallen, Norther has fallen, Kirtle Lad has fallen, The Fossa has fallen, there's a right pile-up... And now, with all this mayhem, Foinavon has gone off on his own! He's about 50, 100 yards in front of everything else![2]
Much of the early stages of the race were inconsequential, with 28 of the 44 competitors having safely cleared the 22nd fence, Becher's Brook on the second circuit. One horse, Vulcano, had been injured in a fall at the third fence and was euthanised.
However, the most dramatic moment of the race, and perhaps of Grand National history, came when a loose horse — Popham Down, who had been hampered and unseated his rider at the first fence — veered dramatically to his right at the 23rd fence, slamming into Rutherfords, unseating its jockey Johnny Leech. A pile-up ensued. Rondetto, Norther, Kirtle Lad, Princeful, Leedsy and other horses hit the ground, then began running up and down the fence preventing others from jumping and bringing the whole race effectively to a halt. Some even began running in the wrong direction, back the way they had come.[1]
The undistinguished Foinavon, whose owner had such little faith in him that he had travelled to Worcester on race day instead,[3] had been lagging so far behind that his jockey, John Buckingham, had sufficient time to steer his mount wide of the mêlée and find a small gap in the fence to jump cleanly on the outside.
Being the only horse over the 23rd at the first attempt, Buckingham found himself with a surprise lead of 30 lengths. Although 17 jockeys remounted to give chase and some did make up considerable ground, especially Josh Gifford on 15/2 favourite Honey End, none had time to catch Foinavon before he crossed the finishing post 15 lengths clear.[1][4] His success paid out a record 444/1 on the Tote.[5]
After the race, commentator Michael O'Hehir suggested that with obstacles like Becher's Brook and Valentine's, the 23rd might one day be named after Foinavon. In 1984, the Aintree executive officially named the fence (the smallest on the course at 4 ft 6 in) the Foinavon fence.[6]
Three jockeys had turned him down. They asked me and I mean I'd have ridden Dick's donkey to be in the Grand National.
As part of the BBC's coverage of the 2010 Grand National, jockey John Buckingham described some of the extraordinary circumstances of his win in an interview. Three jockeys had turned down Foinavon prior to the race (his price the day before the National was 500/1), but Buckingham took up the opportunity to ride in the famous steeplechase. With a clear view of the mêlée at the 23rd, Foinavon was almost hampered by Honey End, whose jockey had remounted, turned around and was ready to attempt to jump the fence. At the next obstacle, the Canal Turn, Buckingham looked back in disbelief at the clear lead he held with just six fences remaining. After passing the elbow on the run-in, he got a final burst of energy from Foinavon, and later reflected: "Then there was no doubt, I knew I won it. I was absolutely over the moon."[6]
1967 was also the year when Red Rum made his first appearance at Aintree, as a two-year-old in a five-furlong sprint, finishing in a dead-heat for first the day before the National. Ten years later, he would return to the same racecourse to secure his unprecedented third Grand National title.[7]
Finishing order
Position | Name | Jockey | Age | Handicap (st-lb) | SP | Distance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
01 | Foinavon | John Buckingham | 9 | 10-0 | 100/1 | |
02 | Honey End | Josh Gifford | 10 | 10-4 | 15/2 | |
03 | Red Alligator | Brian Fletcher | 8 | 10-0 | 30/1 | |
04 | Greek Scholar | Terry Biddlecombe | 8 | 10-9 | 20/1 | |
05 | Packed Home | Tommy Carberry | 12 | 10-0 | 100/1 | |
06 | Solbina | Eddie Harty | 10 | 11-2 | 25/1 | |
07 | Ausie | Frank Shortt | 10 | 10-0 | 50/1 | |
08 | Scottish Final | Mr B Howard | 10 | 10-0 | 100/1 | |
09 | What A Myth | Paul Kelleway | 10 | 12-0 | 20/1 | |
10 | Kapeno | Mr Nick Gasalee | 10 | 11-1 | 25/1 | |
11 | Quintin Bay | J Cullen | 11 | 10-0 | 50/1 | |
12 | Bob-A-Job | C Young | 13 | 10-0 | 100/1 | |
13 | Steel Bridge | E Prendergast | 9 | 10-0 | 100/1 | |
14 | Castle Falls | Stan Hayhurst | 10 | 10-3 | 50/1 | |
15 | Ross Sea | John Cook | 11 | 10-3 | 66/1 | |
16 | Rutherfords | Johnny Leech | 7 | 10-11 | 28/1 | |
17 | Freddie | Pat McCarron | 10 | 11-13 | 100/9 | |
18 | Game Purston | Ken White | 9 | 10-0 | 66/1 | |
Non-finishers
Fence | Name | Jockey | Age | Handicap (st-lb) | Starting price | Fate |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
? | Kilburn | Tim Norman | 9 | 11-0 | 100/8 | Fell |
01 | Bassnet | David Nicholson | 8 | 10-11 | 10/1 | Fell |
01 | Meon Valley | Andy Turnell | 12 | 10-7 | 66/1 | Fell |
? | Lucky Domino | J Kenneally | 10 | 10-5 | 66/1 | Fell |
03 | Dorimont | Richard Pitman | 13 | 10-0 | 100/1 | Fell |
03 | April Rose | Major Piers Bengough | 12 | 10-8 | 66/1 | Fell |
03 | Vulcano | J Speid-Soote | 9 | 10-0 | 40/1 | Fell |
? | Ronald's Boy | Mr P Irby | 10 | 10-13 | 100/1 | Fell |
06 | Border Fury | Mr D Crossley-Cooke | 8 | 10-2 | 100/2 | Fell |
? | Aerial III | Mr Tim Durant | 11 | 10-9 | 100/1 | Fell |
? | Tower Road | R Williams | 9 | 10-0 | 40/1 | Fell |
15 | Anglo | Bobby Beasley | 9 | 11-1 | 100/8 | Pulled Up |
? | Forecastle | Nimrod Wilkinson | 9 | 10-10 | 50/1 | Pulled Up |
23 | The Fossa | Stan Mellor | 10 | 10-2 | 100/8 | Pulled Up |
23 | Norther | Mr John Lawrence | 10 | 10-0 | 50/1 | Pulled Up |
23 | Dun Widdy | Mr J Edwards | 11 | 10-10 | 100/1 | Pulled Up |
19 | Penvuglo | Johnny Lehane | 8 | 10-0 | 50/1 | Pulled Up |
? | Harry Black | R Reid | 10 | 10-0 | 100/1 | Pulled Up |
23 | Different Class | David Mould | 7 | 11-2 | 100/8 | Brought Down |
23 | Limeking | Pat Buckley | 10 | 10-3 | 33/1 | Brought Down |
01 | Popham Down | Macer Gifford | 10 | 10-0 | 66/1 | Brought Down |
23 | Leedsy | TS Murphy | 9 | 10-5 | 50/1 | Brought Down |
23 | Princeful | Roy Edwards | 9 | 10-2 | 100/1 | Brought Down |
23 | Rondetto | Johnny Haine | 11 | 11-7 | 33/1 | Refused |
23 | Kirtle-Lad | Paddy Broderick | 8 | 10-3 | 28/1 | Refused |
? | Barberyn | N Mullins | 12 | 10-1 | 100/1 | Refused |
- This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2
- ↑ http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/horse_racing/8613183.stm
- ↑ http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2009/apr/03/joy-of-six-grand-national
- ↑ http://www.grandnational.org.uk/history.php
- ↑
- ↑ 6.0 6.1
- ↑ http://the-grand-national.co.uk/history/1960/
- ↑ The Grand National : the history of the Aintree spectacular, by Stewart Peters & Bernard Parkin, ISBN 0-7524-3547-7
- ↑ http://sixtiesnationals.webs.com/196667.htm
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