Some standout Grand National stats

Only the great Red Rum has managed three victories in the National, getting his famous head across the line first in 1973, 1974 and 1977. In the two intervening years, he was second.

The oldest ever winner was the legendary Peter Simple who incredibly won the race aged 15 in 1853.

At the other end of the scale, Alcibiade in 1865, Regal in 1876, Austerlitz in 1877, Empress in 1880, and Lutteur III in 1909, all won the great race when just five years of age.

The first ever horse to win successive Nationals was Abd-El-Kader in 1850 and 1851. The Colonel repeated the feat in 1869 and 1870, as did Reynoldstown in 1935 and 1936. Red Rum was the next horse to retain his National-winning status. In the 2011 Grand National, Don't Push it will be looking to make it two in a row.

The great Golden Miller is the only horse ever to have won both the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Grand National in the same season - 1934. Incidentally, Golden Miller remains the most successful Cheltenham Gold Cup horse of all time, having won the race for five consecutive years between 1932 and 1936!

Manifesto ran in more races than any other horse. Between 1895 and 1904, he ran in eight races, winning two and coming third three times. He only failed to finish once when he was brought down, and could have run in more Nationals as he missed one due to injury. At his last attempt, Manifesto was 16 years old and finished a very creditable sixth.

In 1998, Earth Summit became the first horse ever to win the Grand National in addition to the Scottish and Welsh Nationals. Meanwhile, trainer Paul Nicholls will be looking to add the National to his list of honours this year.

Only two greys have ever won the great race; dual winner The Lamb in 1868 and again three years later, and Nicolaus Silver in 1961 – though the grey Suny Bay finished runner-up in two successive Nationals behind Lord Gyllene in 1997 and Earth Summit a year later.

Only 13 mares have won the National – and none have done so since Nickel Coin in 1951.


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