Pineau De Re Wins Grand National at Aintree

The Grand National Steeplechase at the Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool, England was run this past Saturday.  I'm very happy to report that, for the second straight year, there were no equine deaths resulting from the race.  The Grand National is a National Hunt race, and was first run in 1839.  Originally, the race was four and a half miles in length, but has recently been shortened by 90 yards, to 4 and 7/16 miles.  The Grand National features jumps larger than the usual National Hunt courses, and several are well-known for the accidents and pile-ups of horses that occur at them.  The course is a double circuit of 16 jumps, skipping the last two on the second circuit.

 This year's winner is an 11-year-old French-bred gelding named Pineau De Re; he landed in front at the final jump and continued to stride away from his rivals, winning by 5 lengths.  His jockey was Leighton Aspell, who had retired for two years in 2007, but felt the need to return to racing.  The horse's owner is John Provan of Scotland, and he was bred in France by Michel Hardy.  His trainer is Dr. Richard Newlands, who trains a stable of twelve as a hobby, while still running his medical practice in central England.  Pineau De Re was followed across the finish line by Balthazar King and co-betting favorite Double Seven.  There was one false start before the race began.

   Pineau De Re won the race as a 25 to 1 longshot; in 2013, Aurora's Encore won at odds of 66 to 1, and in 2012, Neptune Collonges won the race at 33 to 1 odds.  And, just as a tiny fillip of information, Pineau De Re is only the 6th French-bred horse to win the Grand National.

   The best known strangest finish of the race occurred in 1956, when Devon Loch, owned by the Queen Mother, and ridden by Dick Francis, did a strange belly-flop while passing the water jump.  And one of the most wonderful winners was Red Rum, so far the only 3-time winner, who won in 1973, 1974, and 1977.  He also placed second in the 1975 and 1976 races.

   And, of course, the race was immortalized in Enid Bagnold's 1935 book National Velvet.  Elizabeth Taylor portrayed Velvet Brown in 1944, who piloted her beloved horse Pie around the Grand National course and won.  Mickey Rooney, who sadly passed away yesterday, played her father's employee who knew his way around a racing and training stable.

   Next year's version of the Grand National at Aintree should be as dramatic as this year's, and, I hope, also without serious injuries or deaths.