1984 Grand National

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1984 Grand National
Grand National
Location Aintree Racecourse
Date31 March 1984
Winning horse Hallo Dandy
Starting price 13/1
Jockey Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Neale Doughty
Trainer Flag of England.svg Gordon W. Richards
OwnerRichard Shaw
Conditions Good
  1983
1985  
External videos
Nuvola apps kaboodle.svg 1984 Grand National in full BBC Sport/YouTube

And it's Greasepaint on the far side, Hallo Dandy on the nearside, there's nothing between them as they come to the line. Hallo Dandy on the nearside is just gonna win it, Hallo Dandy has won it!

Contents

BBC Commentator Peter O'Sullevan describes the climax of the 1984 National

The 1984 Grand National (officially known as the Seagram Grand National for sponsorship reasons) was the 138th official renewal of the world-famous Grand National horse race that took place at Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool, England, on 31 March 1984.

For the first time, the field was limited to a maximum of 40 runners. A sell-out crowd at Aintree [1] saw 23 contenders complete the course, breaking the record for most finishers and one which still stands today. [2]

Hallo Dandy won the race, ridden by Welsh jockey Neale Doughty. The pairing had finished fourth in the previous year's National. By the 26th fence Hallo Dandy and last year's runner-up Greasepaint were contesting the lead, which Hallo Dandy took at the second-last and held on to, securing victory by a distance of four lengths. The 1983 winner Corbiere finished third. [3]

There was one equine fatality in the race when Earthstopper collapsed and died after finishing in fifth place. [4]

Racing colours of Mr Richard Shaw - black, black cap, emerald green spots

Race card

Greasepaint was made market favourite on the day of the race, proving popular to a large section of the general public for whom the National was their only bet of the year due to his having been narrowly beaten into second place in the previous year's race. He was also being given 2 lbs less to carry but had yet to win a race since being transferred to the yard of Dermot Weld who was aiming to land a unique spring double, having saddled the winner of the Lincoln Handicap a week before the National. [5]

Broomy Bank was relatively lightly raced prior to his winning the Kim Muir Challenge Cup at the Cheltenham festival a few weeks before the National but with a 66% win rate he was backed to 12/1 for leading amateur rider, Jim Wilson. [6]

Lucky Vane came to Aintree on the back of three victories during the season, the most notable being the Eider Chase, regarded by the racing fraternity as a good Grand National trial. The 12/1 chance would also benefit from the most experienced rider in the field, John Burke, taking his tenth ride in the race, having previously won it in 1976 [7]

Grittar returned to try to regain the title he claimed in 1982, having prepared this year with a creditable third place in the Whitbred trial at Ascot. Although given 2 lbs less than when finishing fifth lest year, it was still 5 lbs more than when victorious. Having been partnered by two different riders in his previous attempts he would again have a new jockey in John Francome who had missed the ride the previous year through injury and was also a 12/1 chance. [6]

Hallo Dandy had been a freely available 33/1 chance for the race at the start of 1984, having been pulled up in the Hennessey Cognac Gold Cup but was the subject of huge gambles when the handicapper seemed to have completely underestimated him by raising him just 1 lb in the weights to run carrying ten stones 2 lbs. A good prep race at Ayr and conditions at Aintree suggesting the horse would get the good ground he favoured, as opposed to the soft ground upon which he had tired to finish fourth last year only served to enhance his chances with his backers who sent him off at 13/1 in the hands of regular jockey Neale Doughty. [8]

The majority of the remainder of the betting public placed their faith with last year's winner and top weighted, Corbiere, Cheltenham Foxhunters winner, Eliogarty, 1981 runner up, Spartan Missile, who provided the amateur, John White with the best backed mount of the eleven riders making their debut in the race, and Ashley House, who had been a firm ante post favourite for last year's race before being a late withdrawal. At the other end of the market over a quarter of the field were allowed to go off at 100/1 while thirteen of the field carried the minimum allowed weight of ten stones, having been handicapped below that mark. [9]

Finishing order

The Jockey club appointed a new handicapper and starter for this years race with Captain Christopher Mordaunt framing the weights for the race and Captain Michael Sayers starting the race. [10]

All five leading contenders ran well throughout the first three quarters of the race and were all well placed to mount a challenge as they jumped the Canal Turn for the second time. Greasepaint kicked on to lead at that stage and was joined four fences from the finish by Hallo Dandy who both began to stretch the chasing field. Broomy Bank and Grittar were among those who began to lose touch while Lucky Vane continued to chase the leaders towards the penultimate fence but was fighting for the minor places by the last fence.

Hallo Dandy took a one length lead over Greasepaint at the final fence but was never able to stretch away, keeping the result in doubt right up until the final few strides of the race. [11]

PositionName Jockey AgeWeight SP Distance
01 Hallo Dandy Neale Doughty1010-0213/1Won by 4 lengths
02GreasepaintTommy Carmody911-29/1 F
03 Corbiere Ben De Haan912-016/1
04Lucky VaneJohn Burke910-1312/1
05Earthstopper Richard Rowe 1011-133/1
06Two SwallowsAnthony Webber1110-028/1
07Fethard FriendGerry Newman910-1222/1
08Broomy BankMr Jim Wilson910-1212/1
09Jivago De NeuvyMr Roger Grand911-050/1
10 Grittar John Francome 1111-1012/1
11Hill Of SlaneSteve Smith-Eccles810-233/1
12TacroyFrank Berry1010-728/1
13DoubleuagainTom Morgan1010-5100/1
14Beech KingPat Kiely1010-166/1
15EliogartyMr Donal Hassett911-516/1
16Spartan MissileMr John White1211-418/1
17Yer ManVal O'Connell910-225/1
18FauloonBill Smith910-1350/1
19Another CaptainAndrew Stringer1210-166/1
20Mid Day GunGraham McCourt1010-340/1
21Poyntz PassH Rogers910-5100/1
22JackoSam Morshead1210-466/1
23Canford Ginger Colin Brown 910-1100/1Last to complete

Non-finishers

FenceName Jockey AgeWeight SP Fate
03 (open ditch)Golden TrixKevin Mooney910-150/1Fell
06 (Becher's Brook)Clonthurtin Tom Taaffe 1010-0100/1Fell
06 (Becher's Brook)Hazy Dawn Mr Willie Mullins 910-9100/1Fell
06 (Becher's Brook)Midnight LoveChris Grant911-428/1Fell
06 (Becher's Brook)Three To OnePhil Tuck1310-266/1Fell
08 (Canal Turn)Bush GuideMiss Valerie Alder810-533/1Fell
13Roman GeneralMajor Malcolm Wallace1110-3500/1Unseated Rider
15 (The Chair)Ashley HouseGraham Bradley1011-1320/1Fell
15 (The Chair)Carl's WagerMr Ronnie Beggan910-228/1Fell
17The Drunken DuckAlan Brown1110-3100/1Pulled Up
18Door StepMr John Queally810-2100/1Fell
19 (open ditch)Fortune SeekerPaul Barton910-0100/1Fell
19 (open ditch)KumbiKevin Doolan910-0100/1Fell
19 (open ditch)Pilot OfficerMr Adrian Sharpe910-233/1Refused
22 (Becher's Brook)Imperial BlackColin Hawkins810-750/1Fell
23Burnt Oak Peter Scudamore 810-725/1Pulled Up
27 (open ditch)Silent ValleyGeordie Dun1110-833/1Pulled Up

[12] [13]

Media coverage and aftermath

The race was watched by an official attendance of 54,583. [14]

The BBC broadcast the race live on Television for the twenty-fifth consecutive year, as part of its regular Saturday afternoon Grandstand programme. This was to be the last year the Grand National coverage was presented by David Coleman. Coleman had presented every television National bar (excluding the 1960 Grand National and the 1977 Grand National). For the thirteenth consecutive year, the commentary team consisted of John Hanmer, Julian Wilson and lead commentator, Peter O'Sullevan who was calling his thirty-ninth Grand National on Radio or Television.

The race was also broadcast live on BBC Radio for the fifty-third time as part of Radio 2's regular Sport on Two programme, with Peter Bromley calling the winner home.

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References

  1. "Grand National Sell-Out: Best Day Since 1984". news.sky.com. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
  2. "Hallo Dandy 1984 Grand National". grand-national.me.uk. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
  3. "HELLO DANDY WINS NATIONAL - NYTimes.com". nytimes.com. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
  4. Reg Green, 'A Race Apart', 1988
  5. 1 2 Christopher Simpson, Grand Nationals of the 80s
  6. Reg Green 'A Race Apart', 1988
  7. "Hallo Dandy 1984 Grand National". grand-national.me.uk. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
  8. Chris Simpson, Grand Nationals of the 80s
  9. Sporting Life Souvenir Magazine 9 April 1988, page 4
  10. BBC Race Footage
  11. The Grand National : the history of the Aintree spectacular, by Stewart Peters & Bernard Parkin, ISBN   0-7524-3547-7
  12. "Grand National Anorak |". freewebs.com. Archived from the original on 24 October 2014. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
  13. Sporting Life Souvenir Magazine, 4 April 1987, page 19