....Richard Dunwoody rides his first National winner on West Tip for trainer Michael Oliver...second was 66/1 outsider Young Driver ridden by Chris Grant and third was Classified....40 ran...17 completed....
First time I had the winner of the National. West Tip was one of the best horses to ever run in this race. There is a stand named after him in Aintree. Well deserved too!
How wonderful to see so many colours carried by the jockeys of so many different owners unlike this years shambles of Gigginstown having a tenth of the field.
I had a £1ew patent Ante Post West Tip 10/1, Dancing Brave 14/1 2000 Guineas and Bahkaroff for the Derby 14/1 Non runner and backed West Tip every year after in the national and also had Little Polvier the year he won at 50/1 ante post when West Tip came 2nd. Happy memories from my early betting years
My first ever winner at the National at the grand age of 18. I had to wait another 25 years for my next one :P A proper Aintree horse though - only fell once, won once, & good places in every other year he ran. And everyone remembers West tip having that huge scar on his hind leg where he had a clash with a lorry.....
Unfortunately Chris Grant and the Grand National was the equivalent of Jimmy White and World Snooker Championships. For the absolute life of them neither could win it finishing runner up at least 6 times.
you forget what carnage this race is, i do think now after all these years they should ban it, its had its time, and i think the brave horses would think so to.
The fences have been radically altered over the years and nowadays is a far easier course for both horse and rider. The Chair and Beechers Brook were difficult to navigate back then but in 2021 are nowhere near as hard. Horses are bred to race and whilst I agree to a certain extent it was hard in the 80s it's a breeze nowadays!
