Merryman II | |
---|---|
Sire | Carnival Boy |
Dam | Maid Marion |
Damsire | Star and Garter |
Sex | Gelding |
Foaled | 1951 |
Country | Scotland |
Colour | Bay |
Owner | Winifred H. Wallace |
Trainer | Neville Crump |
Major wins | |
Grand National (1960) |
Merryman II (foaled 1951) was a Scottish-bred Thoroughbred racehorse who competed in National Hunt racing.
He is best known for winning the 1960 Grand National at odds of 13/2, making him the first clear favourite to win for 33 years as well as the first Scottish-bred winner.
His jockey, 22-year-old Gerry Scott, had been lucky to take part in the race, having broken his collarbone two weeks prior.
Due to the 1960 race being the first ever televised, Merryman II also holds the distinction of being the first televised winner of a Grand National. [1] [2]
Grand National | Position | Jockey | Age | Weight | SP | Distance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1960 | 1st | Gerry Scott | 9 | 10-12 | 13/2 F | |
1961 | 2nd | Bobby Beasley | 10 | 11-12 | 8/1 | |
1962 | 13th | David Dick | 11 | 11-8 | 20/1 |
Sire Carnival Boy (GB) 1941 | Colombo (GB) 1931 | Manna (IRE) | Phalaris (GB) |
---|---|---|---|
Waffles (IRE) | |||
Lady Nairne (GB) | Chaucer (GB) | ||
Lammarmuir (GB) | |||
Sharp Tar (GE) 1933 | Son-in-law (GB) | Dark Ronaldo (IRE) | |
Mother In Law (GB) | |||
Saddle Tor (GB) | Hurry On (GB) | ||
Leighon Tor (IRE) | |||
Dam Maid Marion (GB) 1937 | Star and Garter (IRE) 1919 | Sunstar (GB) | Sundridge (GB) |
Doris (GB) | |||
She (GB) | Cyllene (GB) | ||
Witty Girl (GB) | |||
Angelica (IRE) 191)9 | Santair (GB) | Sanoi (GB) | |
Helen Blair (IRE) | |||
Angela II (GB) | Wales (GB) | ||
Angela (GB) |
The Grand National is a National Hunt horse race held annually at Aintree Racecourse, Aintree, Merseyside, England. First run in 1839, it is a handicap steeplechase over an official distance of about 4 miles and 2½ furlongs, with horses jumping 30 fences over two laps. It is the most valuable jump race in Europe, with a prize fund of £1 million in 2017. An event that is prominent in British culture, the race is popular amongst many people who do not normally watch or bet on horse racing at other times of the year.
In horse racing in Great Britain, France and Republic of Ireland, National Hunt racing requires horses to jump fences and ditches. National Hunt racing in the UK is informally known as "jumps" and is divided into two major distinct branches: hurdles and steeplechases. Alongside these there are "bumpers", which are National Hunt flat races. In a hurdles race, the horses jump over obstacles called hurdles; in a steeplechase the horses jump over a variety of obstacles that can include plain fences, water jump or an open ditch. In the UK, the biggest National Hunt events of the year are generally considered to be the Grand National and the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Aldaniti was a racehorse who won the Grand National on 4 April 1981. His jockey on that day, Bob Champion, had recovered from cancer, while Aldaniti had recovered after suffering a career-threatening injury. The horse was trained by Josh Gifford.
The Scottish Grand National is a Premier Handicap National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Ayr, Scotland, over a distance of about 4 miles and during its running there are 27 fences to be jumped. It is a handicap race, and takes place each year in April. It is Scotland's equivalent of the Grand National, and is held during Ayr's two-day Scottish Grand National Festival meeting.
The 1960 Daytona 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series stock car race that was held on February 14, 1960, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. It was the 5th race of the 1960 season, and was won by Junior Johnson in a 1959 Chevrolet.
The 2002 Grand National was the 155th official renewal of the Grand National steeplechase that took place at Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool, England, on 6 April 2002.
The 1999 Grand National was the 152nd official renewal of the world-famous Grand National steeplechase that took place at Aintree near Liverpool, England, on 10 April 1999.
The 1997 Grand National was the 150th official running of the Grand National steeplechase held at Aintree near Liverpool. The race was scheduled to be run on Saturday 5 April 1997, but was postponed by two days to Monday 7 April after a Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) bomb threat forced the evacuation of the course.
Durbar was a French racehorse. Although not the best of his generation in France he proved too good for the leading British colts in the 1914 Epsom Derby, which he won by three lengths. His pedigree was controversial, with the British authorities not recognising him as a Thoroughbred. His racing career was ended by the outbreak of the First World War.
The 1969 Grand National was the 123rd renewal of the Grand National horse race that took place at Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool, England, on 29 March 1969. Twelve-year-old Highland Wedding, running in his third Grand National, was the winner by 12 lengths. He was ridden by jockey Eddie Harty Sr. for trainer Toby Balding. The favourite was Red Alligator who fell at the 19th fence.
Airborne was an Irish-bred British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. After showing little worthwhile form as a two-year-old, Airborne improved to become one of the leading three-year-olds in Britain in 1946. He won five successive races including two Classics: the Derby at Epsom and the St Leger at Doncaster. He was the most recent of four greys to have won the Epsom Classic. Airborne went on to have a stud career of limited success.
The 1961 Grand National was the 115th renewal of the Grand National horse race that took place at Aintree near Liverpool, England, on 25 March 1961.
The 1960 Grand National was the 114th renewal of the Grand National horse race that took place at Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool, England, on 26 March 1960. The steeplechase was won by nine-year-old Merryman II, who, at odds of 13/2, became the first clear favourite to win for 33 years. His jockey, 22-year-old Gerry Scott, had been lucky to take part in the race, having broken his collarbone two weeks earlier. Merryman II became the first ever Scottish winner of the National.
My Love was a French Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a career that lasted from 1947 to 1948 he ran eight times and won three races. In the summer of 1948 he became the third French-trained horse to win The Derby and the fifth horse to win both the Derby and the Grand Prix de Paris. At the end of the season he was retired to stud but he had little success before or after being exported to Argentina in 1951.
Pall Mall (1955–1978) was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire, best known for winning the classic 2000 Guineas in 1958. Owned and bred by Queen Elizabeth II, Pall Mall was one of the leading British two-year-olds of 1957, when he won the New Stakes at Royal Ascot and was placed in three other important races. In the following spring, he performed moderately in two trial races before creating a 20/1 upset by winning the 2000 Guineas. He later won the first two runnings of the Lockinge Stakes before being retired to stud, where he had some success as a sire of winners.
Commotion was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare who raced during World War II and was best known for winning the classic Oaks Stakes in 1941. After racing over sprint distances, she was stepped up in distance the substitute "New Oaks" over one and a half miles at Newmarket Racecourse. On her next appearance she won the Falmouth Stakes and was then retired from racing. She later became a very successful broodmare.
Captain Timothy Arthur Forster, OBE commonly known as Tim Forster, was an English racehorse trainer and previously an amateur jockey. As a trainer he had 1,346 winners, including 3 Grand Nationals at Aintree in Liverpool. Forster's last runner as a Licensed Trainer came on 30 May 1998, when he won with Albermarle in a novice chase at Market Rasen.
Tiger Roll is a retired Irish-bred Thoroughbred racehorse who competed in National Hunt racing and won the Grand National in 2018 and 2019. He has also won five times at the Cheltenham Festival: the Triumph Hurdle in 2014, the National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup in 2017 and the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase in 2018, 2019 and 2021.
Last Suspect was a British-bred Thoroughbred racehorse who competed in National Hunt racing.
Caravel is a retired American Thoroughbred racehorse. She won 15 races in her career, of which 13 were stakes races. Her top victories were in the Grade I Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint in 2022 and the Grade I Jaipur Stakes in 2023.