1938 Grand National

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1938 Grand National
Grand National
Location Aintree Racecourse
Date25 March 1938
Winning horse Flag of the United States.svg Battleship
Starting price 40/1
Jockey Flag of England.svg Bruce Hobbs
Trainer Reg Hobbs
Owner Flag of the United States.svg Mrs. Marion duPont Scott
Conditions Good to firm
  1937
1939  
External videos
Nuvola apps kaboodle.svg Highlights of the 1938 Grand National (British Pathé)

The 1938 Grand National was the 97th renewal of the Grand National horse race that took place at Aintree near Liverpool, England, on 25 March 1938.

Contents

The steeplechase was won narrowly by American thoroughbred Battleship, a 40/1 shot ridden by 17-year-old jockey Bruce Hobbs and trained by Reg Hobbs, for owner Marion duPont Scott. Royal Danieli finished in second place, with Workman third and last year's second-placed Cooleen was fourth. Workman won the National the following year and Cooleen also finished fourth in 1939.

Battleship is the only horse to have won both the Grand National at Aintree and the American Grand National.

Thirty-six horses ran in the race, including the previous year's winner Royal Mail, who was pulled-up before the second Canal Turn with a broken blood vessel.

Media coverage and aftermath

Winning rider Bruce Hobbs later explained that he had Fred Rimell to thank in part for his victory. Hobbs stated that Battleship had landed very steeply at Becher's Brook and cut his chin on the ground, causing the pair to come to the seventh fence wrong. Battleship had to veer sharply to take the jump and as Hobbs stated. "He caught me off balance and I was starting to fall off when suddenly I got a push up the bum back into the saddle" [From Rimell]. Of the finish Hobbs stated "I didn't hit the little horse because he wouldn't go for the stick, but he gave everything and got up and won. I thought it was half a length but they gave it as a head and all the Irish said if there was a photograph I would have been second." Hobbs himself never raced in the National again after a fall later that year resulted in a back injury that ended his riding career. [1]

Finishing order

PositionName Jockey AgeHandicap (st-lb) SP Distance
01 Battleship Bruce Hobbs 1111-0640/1A Head [2]
02Royal DanieliDL Moore18/1
03 Workman Jimmy Brogan28/1
04CooleenJack Fawcus8/1
05DelachanceJohn Moloney100/9
06Red Knight IIDavy Jones28/1
07Blue ShirtBob Smythe8/1
08Hopeful HeroMr W Dawes100/1
09Under BidMarius Pringle40/1
10Bachelor PrinceDanny Morgan25/1
11Lough CottageRichard 'Dicky' Black40/1
12Provocative Fred Rimell 22/1
13DrimMr BK Tighe100/1

Non-finishers

Position/FateName Jockey AgeHandicap (st-lb) SP
Fell (1st)InversibleMatt Hogan33/1
FrobisherPerry Harding66/1
Prominent LadHywell Jones100/1
Dominick's Cross Bob Everett 22/1
Fell (3rd)PontetJE Parkinson66/1
DidoricDon Butchers50/1
EmancipatorMr CRD Gray100/1
Fell (6th)Brighter CottageW O'Grady40/1
DawmarRoger Burford100/1
Takvor PachaA Kalley100/7
What Have YouSean Magee100/1
Hurdy Gurdy ManJohn Hislop100/1
Cabin Fire Tim Hyde 33/1
Fell (10th)Airgead SiosThomas McNeill25/1
Stalbridge ParkGerry Wilson100/6
K.D.H.George Archibald100/1
Fell (16th)Rock LadJack Bissill66/1
TapinoisA Scratchley100/1
Blue PrinceBilly Parvin50/1
Fell (22nd)Dunhill Castle Frenchie Nicholson 20/1
Fell (22nd)RockquillaThomas F Carey28/1
Pulled Up (24th)Royal Mail Evan Williams 100/8
Lazy BootsSir C Congreve100/1

[3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]

References

  1. Sporting Life Souvenir Magazine, 9 April 1988, page 14
  2. "1938".
  3. "Grand National Winners – Sportsbook Guardian". Archived from the original on 27 December 2013. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
  4. "Aintree Grand National 1938".
  5. "Jockeypedia".
  6. "Past Winners of the Grand National". Archived from the original on 4 November 2011. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  7. http://www.britishpathe.com/video/the-grand-national-1938/ Highlights of the 1938 Grand National
  8. "1938".