Ayala Grand National Wins
- 1963 - ridden by Pat Buckley trained by Keith Piggott

It’s probably fair to say that Ayala is one of the smaller names that won the Grand National, especially during the 60s and 70s, when many big names came to the fore and won the race.
But despite what you think, he’s still a Grand National winner, something that very few horses have at the side of their name. With odds of 66/1 on him, he wasn’t fancied at all by the punters. He went into the race with little chance on paper but managed to bag the win somehow and get out on top.
The 1963 was his first Grand National. He would go into the race with no experience of the course, and on top of that, he arrived in poor form, with no big race wins or even big race performances on his CV.
Ridden by a young, 19-year-old Pat Buckley, he didn’t have experience in the saddle either. Buckley had one Grand National ride before this one, but he fell at the first fence, so he hadn’t actually jumped a fence in the race.
Trainer Keith Piggott was also having his first Grand National runner here, so there was no experience at all amongst the team taking Ayala to the racecourse.
In 1964 and 1965, the horse would return as a previous winner, looking to add a second victory. However, he would fail to compete in both races, falling at fence 15 in 64 and fence 1 in 65.
Ayala’s Big Race Wins
Ayala was not a horse that contested any other big races other than the Grand National. Therefore, he recorded no other big race wins in his career.
The one very unexpected Grand National success is what stands out on his CV, a remarkable win, surprising the public and landing the biggest race on the calendar at huge odds.
Full Results
Year | Result | Prize Money | Handicap | Jockey | Trainer |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1965 | Fence 1 - Fell | - | 10-13 | Stan Mellor | Keith Piggott |
1964 | Fence 15 - Fell | - | 10-7 | David Nicholson | Keith Piggott |
1963 | 1 | £18945 3s | 10-00 | Pat Buckley | Keith Piggott |