Bindaree Grand National Wins
- 2002 - ridden by Jim Culloty trained by Nigel Twiston-Davies
Bindaree won the 2002 Grand National, a race that will be remembered as one where you needed to have a bit of luck on your side, which this horse certainly did. Ridden by Jim Culloty and trained by Nigel Twiston-Davies, in the horse’s first attempt at winning the race.
Foaled in 1994, Bindaree was a special horse. He won a Graded level over hurdles, so he was already high class before turning his attention to staying chase races. He also did a National double because as well as winning the 2002 Grand National, he won the 2003 Welsh Grand National, a rare feat, as most dual winners win one of the other races before going on to win the big one, rather than the opposite way.
The horse gave the trainer a second Grand National victory after winning the race with Earth Summit in 1998. For jockey Jim Culloty, this was his only success in the race, from a total of seven attempts.
Full Results
| Year | Result | Prize Money | Handicap | Jockey | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 11 | - | 11-3 | Carl Llewellyn | Nigel Twiston-Davies |
| 2004 | Fence 6 - Brought Down | - | 11-4 | Carl Llewellyn | Nigel Twiston-Davies |
| 2003 | 6 | £9,000 | 10-11 | Carl Llewellyn | Nigel Twiston-Davies |
| 2002 | 1 | £290,000 | 10-4 | Jim Culloty | Nigel Twiston-Davies |
Winner Of The 2002 Grand National
The 2002 Grand National was a race where you needed plenty of luck to navigate around the course. Just 11 runners finished the race from the 40 that started, and many of those we lost came down in one incident.
This came at the very start of the race, too, with Wicked Crack falling at the first fence when leading the field and bringing down a number of runners behind him. A total of nine runners were lost at the first, which is almost a quarter of the field. Those that were lucky enough, continued, including Bindaree. Thankfully there wasn’t too much drama after that fence.
When we got to the business end of the race, Bindaree was by far and away the best stayer in the race, as is often the case with those who go on to win it. We had four horses in with a chance with two fences to jump, with Bindaree leading the way. Culloty was quick to turn the screw, and quickly we saw two fade away, with What’s Up Boys being the only horse capable of going with Bindaree.
Up the run in, there was a moment in the race when What’s Up Boys was three lengths clear, but it was obvious to see that the horse was tiring quickly. With 75 yards left in the race, Bindaree came strongly and not only got up but went on to win by almost two lengths, quickly overturning the deficit he had not too long before.
This was a true staying performance from Bindaree, he was the strongest in the line-up, and although he took some time to get in front up the run in, he eventually did in grand style.
Bindaree’s Early Years
From the start of his career, Bindaree stood out as being a quality horse, something we don’t see too often from Grand National contenders. These horses usually take years to get going and don’t do much at a high level in the early part of their career.
Bindaree won four of his first five starts, his fourth start was a win at Grade Two level, and his fifth start was a win in the Grade One Challow Hurdle at Cheltenham. Those graded wins came over 3m and 2m5f, so he was already running over a trip at a young age, but it was still unusual to see Grand National winners having success at the highest level over hurdles before going onto their staying career.
He went chasing in his second year and was again capable of winning at graded level, winning the Grade Two Rising Stars Chase at Chepstow to further show off his credentials.
This was a very promising start for Bindaree, even if it wasn’t the typical start you expect to see from a future Grand National winner.
Bindaree’s Big Race Wins
The owners of Bindaree were given many great days out on the back of his success.
Those early days we have already mentioned were just the start. Winning the Challow Hurdle at Cheltenham, a Grade One contest, was the start of a great ride, and winning at Cheltenham in any race is special, but this was a Grade One, with the best of the best competing.
In April 2002, the biggest win of his career came in the Grand National, which stands out in his CV. However, he also had one more big day out after the Grand National, which not too many horses have. Twenty months later, Bindaree gave his owners another big day out when he won the 2003 Welsh Grand National to round off what was a great career.
In total, he went to the Grand National four times, winning the first and completing on three occasions, to finish 1st, 6th and 11th in those.