The 2001 Grand National (officially known as the Martell Grand National for sponsorship reasons) was the 154th official running of the Grand National horse race that took place at Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool, England, on 7 April 2001. It went ahead as planned, despite the cancellation of the 2001 Cheltenham Festival, caused by the foot-and-mouth disease crisis.

The steeplechase was won by a distance by 33/1 shot Red Marauder, ridden by jockey Richard Guest, in a time of over 11 minutes. The winner was also trained by his jockey and owned by Norman Mason, in whose name the training licence was held, with Guest as his assistant, though Guest did all the trainingRed Marauder victory race report BBC Sport at his base in Crook, County DurhamRed Marauder profile BBC Sport and ran in the trainer's colours of red with a blue hoop, three blue hoops on the sleeves and a red and blue hooped cap.

The field was limited to a maximum of 40 competitors, of which only two completed the course without mishap (two others were re-mounted to complete) and the race was run in heavy going. It was notable for an unusually high number of falls, including ten at the first Canal Turn, caused by a riderless horse running across the fence, and it came in for criticism in some quarters, believing that the conditions were too wet and muddy. However, supporters of the race were quick to point out that the slow pace and bottomless ground benefitted the race as there were no injuries sustained to any horse or rider.

Background The 2001 outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease had led to the Cheltenham Festival and many other fixtures being abandoned before the Grand National meeting. However, the National got the go-ahead from racing officials. On the day, the race went ahead despite adverse weather, with high winds and an extremely heavy going.

Jockey Paul Flynn was the subject of a frantic search when Mick Fitzgerald was forced to stand down as rider of Esprit De Cotte less than two hours before the race. When Flynn did not respond to calls and texts to his mobile phone, two Tannoy announcements were sent out around the course for him to report to the weighing room. When he still did not respond an urgent message was sent out over the BBC via its live coverage of the build-up of the race. Flynn, who had never before ridden in a National, could not be located in time and the ride instead went to Tom Doyle. Flynn never got another chance to ride in the race.Red Letter day For Chinese BBC Sport, 8 April 2001

Leading contenders Edmond was the winner of the 1999 Welsh National and was made 10/1 joint-favourite on the horse's preference for soft ground. He ran prominently at the head of the field for most of the first circuit and was still leading when he fell into the ditch at The Chair, catapulting rider Richard Johnson over the fence.

Moral Support was also supported to joint-favouritism on the back of a preference for soft ground and a good showing in the Welsh National four months prior. Partnered by Noel Fehily, he was towards the rear of the field when caught in a pile-up at the Canal Turn on the first circuit and brought to a standstill.

Inis Cara was the third joint-favourite but was backed purely on the basis of being a mudlark. His form lacked that of the other two joint-favourites however as he had failed to make a serious impression in any of his six previous races. His jockey Robert Widger was hoping to emulate his great-uncle who won the race over a century before, but the partnership was severed by a heavy fall at the fourth fence.

Beau was the 12/1 mount of two-time winning jockey Carl Llewellyn and had won the Whitbread Gold Cup, a respected Aintree trial, by a distance in 1999. His form in 2000 had been less impressive and his heavy weight handicap was also considered a tough ask, but the horse was coping well with it during the race and was leading the only four runners left in the race when an awkward jump at the 19th fence put his reins over his head. Jockey Llewellyn fought to try to save the situation but, without steering, was unseated at the next fence. The rider desperately chased his mount to the next fence in a bid to remount and possibly claim third place, but was unable to do so.

Mely Moss was sent off at 14/1, having finished second in the race the previous year, despite it being his only run of the season. He was again kept off the racecourse until Aintree and partnered by Norman Williamson, but they were unable to avoid the melee at the Canal Turn.

Papillon beat Mely Moss to win the previous year's National and this, coupled with his trainer risking a foot-and-mouth quarantine to bring him to Aintree, saw him well supported at 14/1. His partner in victory, Ruby Walsh again took the ride and they avoided the carnage on the first circuit to be among the only seven still continuing when a loose horse took them out at the 19th fence. Walsh remounted and hacked around the remainder of the course with the remounted Blowing Wind before being left behind at the final flight to be the last of four to complete.

The eventual winner, Red Marauder, was freely available as an each-way chance at 33/1 after disappointingly falling at Becher's Brook on the first circuit the previous year. Another fall at Haydock before the National had punters feeling that the horse was not a safe enough jumper.

Racecard +NoColoursHorseAgeHandicap (st-lb)SPJockeyTrainer1Beau (IRE)811-1012/1Carl Llewelyn Nigel Twiston-Davies2Papillon (IRE)1011-0514/1Ruby WalshTed Walsh3Earthmover (IRE)1011-0222/1Joe TizzardPaul Nicholls4Merry People (IRE)1311-0266/1Garrett CotterJohn Queally5Tresor De Mai (FR)711-0266/1Rodi GreeneMartin Pipe6General Wolfe1211-0050/1Brian CrowleyVenetia Williams7The Last Fling (IRE)1110-1220/1Seamus DurackSue Smith8Hanakham (IRE)1210-11100/1Barry GeraghtyDonald McCain9Addington Boy (IRE)1310-1133/1John McNamaraFerdy Murphy10Red Marauder1110-1133/1Richard GuestNorman Mason11Djeddah (FR)1010-1133/1Thierry DoumenFrancois Doumen12Strong Tel (IRE)1110-1133/1David CaseyMartin Pipe13Unsinkable Boxer (IRE)1210-1066/1Dean GallagherRobert Alner14Blowing Wind (FR)810-0916/1Tony McCoyMartin Pipe15Moral Support (IRE)910-0910/1 JFNoel FehilyCharlie Mann16Northern Starlight 1010-0750/1Tom ScudamoreMartin Pipe17Noble Lord 810-0525/1Jimmy McCarthyRichard Phillips18Amberleigh House (IRE)910-05150/1Warren MarstonGinger McCain19Exit Swinger (FR)610-0550/1Chris MaudeMartin Pipe20Mely Moss (FR)1010-0514/1Norman WilliamsonCharles Egerton21Dark Stranger (IRE)1010-0325/1Kieron KellyMartin Pipe22Listen Timmy (NZ)1110-03100/1Tony DobbinAlan King23Inis Cara (IRE)910-0310/1 JFRobert WidgerVenetia Williams24Edmond (FR)910-0110/1 JFRichard JohnsonHenry Daly25You're Agoodun910-0128/1Robert WakleyMartin Pipe26No Retreat (NZ)710-02100/1Jason MaguireSteve Brookshaw27Smarty (IRE)810-0016/1Timmy MurphyMark Pitman28Hollybank Buck (IRE)1110-0020/1Francis FloodTony Martin29Moondigua (IRE)910-00100/1Shay BarryMartin Pipe30Village King (IRE)810-0025/1Jim CullotyPhilip Hobbs31Spanish Main (IRE)710-0025/1Jamie GoldsteinNigel Twiston-Davies32Esprit De Cotte (FR)910-0033/1Tom DoyleNicky Henderson33Lance Armstrong (IRE)1110-0250/1Andrew ThorntonRobert Alner34Kaki Crazy (FR)610-0066/1Rodney FarrantMartin Pipe35Feels Like Gold (IRE)1310-0050/1Brian HardingNicky Richards36Paddy's Return (IRE)910-0016/1Adrian MaguireFerdy Murphy37Brave Highlander (IRE)1310-0033/1Philip HideJosh Gifford38Art Prince (IRE)1110-00150/1Jim CrowleyMartin Pipe 39Mister One 1010-0050/1Mark BradburneColin Tizzard40Supreme Charm (IRE)910-0033/1Robert ThorntonKim Bailey

Great Britain unless stated.

The race

The heavy conditions contributed greatly to the horses that fell during the race; eight had already fallen by the third fence. One of the horses that fell in the opening stages, Paddy's Return, carried on as a loose horse and caused pandemonium at the Canal Turn, where he brought down several nearby runners. Ten horses were lost at the Turn overall, including Moral Support, one of the favourites, and future winner Amberleigh House. No Retreat, who was one of the rank outsiders, was also carried out at the Turn but managed to retake the fence and continued over a fence behind the rest of the remaining runners.

Only 15 horses remained after the Turn, and then 13 going onto the racecourse proper for the first time. At the 13th, Noble Lord fell, leaving only 12 to tackle The chair, the large standside jump. This year it claimed three horses including joint-favourite Edmond, each-way shot Supreme Charm and largely unfancied Moondigua. Listen Timmy made a major mistake, recovered, but was pulled up immediately after the fence. No Retreat, who was completely tailed off at the time was eventually pulled up by jockey Jason Maguire before the start of the second circuit. As the field left for the second circuit, only seven horses remained: Red Marauder, Papillon, Beau, Blowing Wind, Brave Highlander, Unsinkable Boxer, and Smarty, with Lance Armstrong, who remounted, around half a mile behind.

Approaching the 19th, a couple of loose horses veered across the ditch, similar to what had happened earlier at the Canal Turn, and hampered Papillon, Blowing Wind and Brave Highlander, resulting in their refusals. Unsinkable Boxer also refused at the big ditch independently. This left three. The leader of the trio and top weight, Beau, unseated jockey Llewellyn at the 20th fence after his reins broke. Two fences back, Tony McCoy remounted Blowing Wind and Ruby Walsh remounted Papillon. McCoy later said, "I looked up at the big screen and saw there were only two horses still racing. I shouted to Ruby [Walsh], 'Come on, let's get back up'". Blowing Wind and Papillon both continued the course to take third and fourth place respectively.

Going into the last few fences Smarty had a lead over Red Marauder. However, by the second-last, Guest on Red Marauder had drawn level with Smarty, and ultimately won by a distance. A mud-covered Guest celebrated crossing the finish line in the slowest Grand National winning time for over 100 years. It was the first time since Ben Nevis won in 1980 that just four horses finished the race, and the first time since 1967 that there were only two unhampered finishers when the largely unnoticed Packed Home successfully negotiated the infamous 23rd fence pile up behind Foinavon to complete unhindered.

Finishing order PositionNumberNameJockeyAgeWeight (st, lb)Starting priceDistance1st10Red MarauderRichard Guest1110-1133/1A distance2nd27SmartyTimmy Murphy810-016/1A distance3rd14Blowing WindTony McCoy810-916/1A distance4th2PapillonRuby Walsh1011-414/1Last to complete

Non-finishers