Horse racing is at the forefront of everyone’s mind at the moment. The recent Cheltenham Festival garnered more attention than ever, primarily thanks to the sheer number of huge favourites that got beat. The likes of Constitution Hill, Jonbon, and the history-seeking Galopin Des Champs all headed into their respective contests as odds-on frontrunners, but all of them were beaten.
Now, attention turns to the Grand Nations, arguably the biggest showdown in all of British racing. The annual Aintree extravaganza is billed as the greatest show on turf, and rightfully so – apologies to the early 2000s St. Louis Rams. But with a mighty haul of horses competing in the gruelling contest and with a whopping 30 fences, anyone can win. And between 2011 and 2022, they did.
Across that 11-year span, only one favourite managed to reign supreme in Liverpool. That came in 2019, and most of the hype came courtesy of the fact that the horse that was backed in as the frontrunner won the race the previous year… we’ll have more on him later. In the meantime, several longshots managed to emerge victorious, some as long as 66/1.
Favourites for a Reason
Of course, horses that are well-backed are exactly that for good reason. They’re the best horses in the race and have the best chance of winning. Over in the States, they know this all too well.
Back in 2021, the guys over at the popular At Odds podcast were previewing that year’s Belmont Stakes. The early morning favourite Essential Quality opened as the 2/1 frontrunner, and he was backed all the way into 1/3. Punters and experts liked what they saw, and he duly delivered, getting the victory after a thriller against eventual runner-up Hot Rod Charlie.
That has been a common theme throughout marquee races in recent years. The favourites with online gambling sites tend to do well. The latest odds with the Bovada gambling site currently make Citizen Bull and Journalism the joint 7/1 favourites to win this year’s Kentucky Derby, and those two will certainly be hoping that the trend continues. But one place that the frontrunner has struggled in recent years is at the Grand National.
Just five favourites have won the marquee race in the last 17 years, including a nine-year barren spell between 2010 and 2019. But which well-backed horses have managed to avoid the vaunted curse?
I Am Maximus
Last year, I Am Maximus bucked the trend of the struggling favourite. The French sensation set off across the testing 4-mile 2 ½ furlong course as the 7/1 favourite, and he managed to get the job done. Iconic trainer Willie Mullins got his prized asset well prepared before placing him in the hands of Paul Townend in the saddle. But his ride wasn’t without its drama.
I Am Maximus had a cautious start and even began to back off at times, but Townend expertly conserved energy for the final stages. Over the last fence, it appeared that Minella Indo, ridden by Rachael Blackmore, might take the prize, but the favourite proved why the punters rated him so highly and found an extra gear. He motored away down the stretch to claim a commanding seven-and-a-half-length victory, becoming the first horse to win both the Irish and English Nationals in the same season.
Corach Rambler
Ridden by Derek Fox and trained by Scotland’s Lucinda Russell, Corach Rambler entered the 2023 National fresh off a back-to-back victory in the Cheltenham Festival’s Handicap Chase. Fox, despite being cleared to ride only hours before the event, timed his run perfectly, taking the lead after the last fence.
Then, he managed to preserve just enough energy in his stallion’s tank to see off the late surge from Vanillier and secured victory by a slender two-and-a-quarter lengths. The nine-year-old became just the third Scottish-trained winner of the Grand National, a momentous achievement for Russell, who had previously won the race in 2017 with One For Arthur.
Tiger Roll
Few horses captured the public’s imagination like Tiger Roll. In 2018, he managed to reign supreme as a 10/1 contender. The following year, the punters piled their money on in the hopes of witnessing history and seeing a horse successfully go back to back for the first time since the iconic Red Rum some 45 years prior.
The reigning champion was backed into 4/1 on race day, and he duly lived up to the prize billing. Despite his diminutive stature, the gelding managed to successfully carry the weight of immense expectation. With the aforementioned Davy Russell on board, it was clear that Tiger Roll was a class above. By the time he reached the famous Elbow on the Aintree run-in, it was obvious the race belonged to him.
Winning by almost three lengths over Magic of Light, Tiger Roll cemented his place in racing folklore. His dual Nationals, coupled with his success at Cheltenham, transformed him into one of the sport’s true icons.
Don’t Push It
Back in 2010, Don’t Push It went off as the 10/1 favourite. But much of that pricing was in the hope that jockey AP McCoy would finally win the National at the 15th time of asking, cementing his legacy as the finest rider in history in the process. His horse was an afterthought and whatever McCoy rode that day would have gone off at low odds. But ultimately it was Don’t Push It, and he proved just how worthy he was of top billing.
His victory was emphatic. After staying close to the leaders throughout the race, McCoy timed his charge to perfection. On the famous run-in, Don’t Push It surged away from Black Apalachi, winning by five lengths. The celebrations were euphoric, not just for McCoy, but also for owner J.P. McManus, who secured his first Grand National title. But while both horse and owner reveled in the victory, it was McCoy who got the biggest outpouring of emotion, finally winning the big one after years of near-misses and immense pressure to win the sport’s ultimate prize.
