What year was the very first Grand National horse race run? and who won it.?

Question

Aintree was built as a race-course in 1827 by Mr William Lynn, a local hotelier to host flat race meetings and proved instantly popular. Lynn's main agenda may have been to compete with a local business rival who had set up a course at nearby Maghull. By the 1830s Lynn had turned his attentions to hosting a steeplechase meet on the course. A friend of his, Captain Martin Becher was one of the top steeplechase jockeys of the day and often told Lynn of the steeplechases at St Albans and Leamington.

In 1836 Lynn organised his first chase meeting. Controversy reigns over this and the next two races of 1837 & 1838. For over 100 years it has been accepted that these races could not have been run at Aintree and were instead run at nearby Maghull but in recent years a modern crop of historians, keen to put right years of errors about the race, have proved beyond doubt that these were Aintree Nationals. The proof is there in any newspaper library for anyone who chooses to read the reports

Answer 1

Although the first 'Official Grand National' was in 1839 the race was first run three years earlier in 1836. However the story starts sooner than that. In the mid 1820's William Lynn of the Waterloo Hotel in Liverpool was not just an innkeeper but also a entrepreneur and he sponsored a hare coursing event called the Waterloo Cup, the success of this and also the interest being shown in the flat racing being held in Merseyside gave him the idea of leasing some land in the area at Aintree and holding race meetings. With his usual energy Mr. Lynn had his plans soon underway and Lord Molyneux laid the foundation stone for the grandstand on July 7th 1829. Racing began at Aintree on the 7th of July the same year. Mr Lynn held three meetings a year however not content with this achievement in 1835 he had the idea of running a steeplechase at the Aintree course. On 29th of February 1936 he advertised the race:- A sweepstakes of 10 sovs. Each with 80sovs added, for horses of all denominations, 12st each, gentlemen riders, second horse receives back his stake. Winner to be sold for 200 sovs. if demanded. The race was an immediate success and it was written of the race in a local journal on March 1st, "The first steeplechase ever run in the neighbourhood of Liverpool came off in enclosed ground near Aintree racecourse". The race was won by The Duke and the rider was the now famous Captain Becher . The following year the race was held in Maghull (Still in Liverpool) This race was also won by The Duke but this time was ridden by Mr Potts as Captain Becher could not get to the course as the previous day he had been riding at St Albans, of course in those days travel was slow and it was almost impossible to get to the course. This year the race was named as Grand Liverpool Steeplechase. The following year again at Maghull was another success. The Duke was again running being ridden by captain Becher but on this occasion he finished third and the winner of the race is not clear as official records show the winner as Sir Henry however there was no horse called Sir Henry running. The race was actually won by Sir William. The following year (1839) was to be what every official record shows as the first Grand National even though at this time it was still called the Grand Liverpool Steeplechase. The race was won by Lottery and he goes down in the history books as the first winner of the race. Captain Becher was also running that year but fell into the brook at the fence that now holds his name.

Answer 2

I have an account of it from The Sporting Review March 1839, titled The First Grand National written by "Craven"  which is reproduced in The Horse-Lovers Anthology  published in 1949 by H F & G Witherby Ltd WC1. There were 18 runners, all carrying 12 st of which 3 only finished for a place, including the 2nd horse Seventy Four, which was a 5yo, making his first appearance as a steeplechaser.

The betting was 6 the Nun,7 Rust,8 Daxon, 9 Railroad, Lottery (won), 12 Seventy Four, 20 Conrad (ridden by Captain Becher), True Blue, Charity, Cannonball.  Paulina finished 3rd.

Quote from the article "Tuesday, the 26th. A more perfect day, for the purposes of any outdoor enjoyment, could not have been secured, if previously bespoken, than that which dawned upon the festival of the Grand National Steeplechase". So why did he not refer to it as the Grand Liverpool Steeplechase if that's what it was?

Answer 3

In 1836 The Duke won the first running of the Grand National - but some people claim the race was NOT run at Aintree.  The first 3 runnings of the Grand National (1836-1838) are not considered by some to be part of the history of the race.  Recently, however, some evidence has been unearthed to suggest that these 3 runnings WERE at Aintree.

The 1839 running (definitely at Aintree) was won by a horse called LOTTERY.

Answer 4

Lottery

Answer 5

It was in the fifteen hundrend and henry the 7 was the winning jockey

Answer 6

1836  the duke

Answer 7

On Tuesday February 26, 1839, Lottery became the first winner of The Grand National. In those days the field had to jump a stone wall (now the water jump), cross a stretch of plough land and finish over two hurdles.