Ballymacad

The Grand National is a race that not only requires ability to win it, but also some luck. For some winners, only a little luck was needed, while others, well, they needed plenty.

Over the years, there have not been too many horses luckier than Ballymacad, who would land the race in 1917. A bizarre incident near the end of the race would leave him clear to claim victory, which looked incredibly unlikely very close to the finish.

This didn’t take place at Aintree like the race usually does, it was the second of three races to be run at Gatwick Racecourse, moved due to Aintree being used as a war base at the time.

For this reason, many refer to the race as the War National, and of course, on an alternative track, it didn’t bring together the same test, but that shouldn’t take anything away from winners or runners during these years, Ballymacad being one of them.

If we’re being honest, though, this shouldn’t have been a win for Ballymacad. Limerock was also in the race, and he looked like being the winner, clear as he was heading to the finishing post. However, he fell close to home, collapsing to the floor and not completing the race.

Further back in the field, Ballymacad was the next horse coming home, and he would be the one to take advantage and win the race.

It was dramatic, just as we see in this race, and some will call Ballymacad a very lucky horse because of the win, something you can’t really argue with.

A year later, trainer Aubrey Hastings would bring Ballymacad back for the race, and again, it was run at Gatwick Racecourse due to the war. He would run another very strong race, but with more than a stone extra on his back, things would ultimately be too tough for him.

Despite the weight, he would finish 3^rd in the contest, a very respectable run. He would not return to the race again, which left him with a record of two runs, one win and one third-placed effort, both of which would actually come away from Aintree racecourse.

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