1844 Grand National

The 1844 Grand Liverpool Steeplechase was the sixth annual running of a Handicap Steeple-chase, later to become known as the Grand National Steeplechase Horse race which took place at Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool on Wednesday February 28th 1844 and attracted a field of sixteen runners.

Betting

5/1 Discount & Marengo

8/1 Heslington & Wiverton

13/1 Charity

14/1 Nimrod

15/1 The Returned

20/1 Louis Philippe

25/1 The Romp

30/1 Caeser, Lather, Little Peter, Peter Simple, Robinson, Teetotum & Tom Tug

Results

Winner: Discount, ridden by John Crickmere

Second: The Returned, ridden by William Scott

Third: Tom Tug, ridden by H Rackley

Fourth: Caeser, ridden by P Barker

Other finishers: 5th Lather, 6th The Romp, 7th Marengo, 8th Little Peter, 9th Louis Philippe

Details

The race was run in heavy rain, making it difficult for the spectators and press in the stands to see the action in the country. The story of what happened to those who did not complete the course was sketchy and was relayed mostly by the jockeys as they returned after the race.

Five horses completed the course behind the nine officially recorded finishers but were declared as distanced by a distance judge situated on a chair beside the fence before the water jump. His job was to pull up any horse that had not reached him by the time all those who had already passed him had finished the race.

The five who completed the course but were listed as distanced were, in order of finishing, Peter Simple and Wiverton, who both fell during the race but were remounted, Heslington, who refused once on the first circuit and again two fences before Becher's Brook on the second circuit, Nimrod, who also fell during the race and Charity who fell at both Valentine's Brook on the first circuit and again at the water jump. The only two who did not complete the course were Robinson, who refused and did not continue and Teetotum, who was pulled up during the second circuit.

Alan McDonough, on Nimrod, Tom Olliver, on Wiverton and Bartholomew Bretherton, on Marengo all took a record sixth ride in the Grand National this year.

The winning rider, John Crickmere was riding in his second National having finished third the previous year. he was twenty-two years old and would go on to have one further ride in the race before dying of consumption in 1846.

The owner was a Picadilly horse dealer by the name of Mr Quartermaine.

The race was run in a time of 13 minutes 58 seconds, which was 1 minute and 28 seconds slower than the record for the race.

Discount won the race by fifteen lengths with the third horse a further length behind.

ource

*www.hometown.aol.co.uk/captainbeecher/1844DISCOUNT.html