The 1967 Grand National was the 121st running of the world-famous Grand National steeplechase that took place at Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool, England, on 8 April 1967. The race is best remembered for being won by outsider Foinavon at odds of 100/1, after avoiding a mêlée at the 23rd fence and jumping it at the first attempt.
By Becher's Brook on the second circuit 28 horses were left in the race and all jumped it successfully. One horse, Vulcano, had been injured in a fall at the third fence and was euthanised.
The most dramatic moment of the race, and perhaps of Grand National history, came when a loose horse – Popham Down, who had been hampered and unseated his rider at the first fence – veered dramatically to his right at the 23rd fence, slamming into Rutherfords, unseating its jockey Johnny Leech. A pile-up ensued. Rondetto, Norther, Princeful, Leedsy and other horses hit the ground, then began running up and down the fence preventing others from jumping and bringing the whole race effectively to a halt. Some even began running in the wrong direction, back the way they had come.
Foinavon, whose owner had travelled to Worcester on race day to ride another of his horses, had been in 22nd position at Becher's, about three lengths behind the favourite Honey End, and his jockey, John Buckingham, had sufficient time to steer his mount wide of the mêlée and find a small gap in the fence to jump cleanly on the outside. Kirtle Lad also survived and raced clear of the field but refused at the next fence. This was not picked up on the TV coverage but shown on cinema newsreels.
With the demise of Kirtle Lad, Buckingham found himself with a surprise lead of 30 lengths. Although 17 jockeys remounted to give chase and some did make up considerable ground, especially Josh Gifford on 15/2 favourite Honey End, none had time to catch Foinavon before he passed the finishing post 15 lengths clear. His success paid out a record 444/1 on the Tote.
After the race, commentator Michael O'Hehir suggested that with obstacles like Becher's Brook and Valentine's, the 23rd might one day be named after Foinavon. In 1984, the Aintree executive officially named the fence (the smallest on the course at ) the Foinavon fence.
As part of the BBC's coverage of the 2010 Grand National, jockey John Buckingham described some of the extraordinary circumstances of his win in an interview. Three jockeys had turned down Foinavon prior to the race (his price the day before the National was 500/1), but Buckingham took up the opportunity to ride in the famous steeplechase. With a clear view of the mêlée at the 23rd, Foinavon was almost hampered by Honey End, whose jockey had remounted, turned around and was ready to attempt to jump the fence. At the next obstacle, the Canal Turn, Buckingham looked back in disbelief at the clear lead he held with just six fences remaining. After passing the elbow on the run-in, he got a final burst of energy from Foinavon, and later reflected: "Then there was no doubt, I knew I won it. I was absolutely over the moon."
1967 was also the year when Red Rum made his first appearance at Aintree, as a two-year-old in a five-furlong sprint, finishing in a dead-heat for first the day before the National. Ten years later, he would return to the same racecourse to secure his unprecedented third Grand National title.
A similar incident to the mêlée at the 23rd fence occurred in the 2001 when Red Marauder won the race from Smarty after they were left clear following a pile-up at the Canal Turn on the first circuit, and after the other remaining horses fell or were brought down by the 20th fence.2001 Aintree Grand National - Red Marauder YouTube
It was also reminiscent of the 1928 Grand National, when Tipperary Tim was the only horse to finish the race without being remounted, also at odds of 100-1.1928 Grand National YouTube
Finishing order PositionNameJockeyAgeHandicap (st-lb)SPDistance01FoinavonJohn Buckingham910-0100/102Honey EndJosh Gifford1010-415/203Red AlligatorBrian Fletcher810-030/104Greek ScholarTerry Biddlecombe810-920/105Packed HomeTommy Carberry1210-0100/106SolbinaEddie Harty1011-225/107AussieFrank Shortt1010-050/108Scottish FinalNobby Howard1010-0100/109What A MythPaul Kelleway1012-020/110KapenoNick Gasalee1011-125/111Quintin BayJackie Cullen1110-050/112Bob-A-JobChris Young1310-0100/113Steel BridgeEamon Prendergast910-0100/114Castle FallsStan Hayhurst1010-350/115Ross SeaJohn Cook1110-366/116RutherfordsJohnny Leech710-1128/117FreddiePat McCarron1011-13100/918Game PurstonKen White910-066/1
Non-finishers FenceNameJockeyAgeHandicap (st-lb)Starting priceFate19Kilburn Tim Norman911-0100/8Fell01BassnetDavid Nicholson810-1110/1Fell01Meon ValleyAndy Turnell1210-766/1Fell19Lucky DominoJohn Kenneally1010-566/1Refused03DorimontRichard Pitman1310-0100/1Fell03April RosePiers Bengough1210-866/1Fell03VulcanoJeremy Speid-Soote910-040/1Fell12Ronald's BoyPaul Irby1010-13100/1Fell06Border FuryDavid Crossley-Cooke810-2100/2Fell19Aerial IIITim Durant1110-9100/1Fell19Tower RoadRay Williams910-040/1Fell15AngloBobby Beasley911-1100/8Pulled Up16ForecastleNimrod Wilkinson910-1050/1Pulled Up23The FossaStan Mellor1010-2100/8Pulled Up23NortherMr John Lawrence1010-050/1Pulled Up23Dun WiddyJohn Edwards1110-10100/1Pulled Up19PenvugloJohnny Lehane810-050/1Pulled Up23Harry BlackRoddy Reid1010-0100/1Refused23Different ClassDavid Mould711-2100/8Brought Down23LimekingPat Buckley1010-333/1Brought Down01Popham DownMacer Gifford1010-066/1Brought Down23LeedsyStan Murphy910-550/1Brought Down23PrincefulRoy Edwards910-2100/1Brought Down23RondettoJohnny Haine1111-733/1Refused24Kirtle-LadPaddy Broderick810-328/1Refused27BarberynNick Mullins1210-1100/1Refused The Grand National : the history of the Aintree spectacular, by Stewart Peters & Bernard Parkin,
Foinavon: The Story of the Grand National's Biggest Upset, by David Owen,
Media coverage
Once again the BBC provided the television coverage with David Coleman fronting a special edition of Grandstand. Four commentators were used for the first time, Peter O'Sullevan, Bob Haynes, Michael O'Hehir and Michael Seth-Smith.
References