Early Mist

Horses | Last ran in 1956
Dam - Sudden Dawn
Sire - Brumeux
Dam's Sire - Hurry On
Born - 1945

Early Mist Grand National Wins

  • 1953 - ridden by Bryan Marshall trained by M Vincent O’Brien
Early Mist Grand National
Early Mist Horse Brass

Early Mist ran a total of four times in the Grand National, and of those four occasions, he had the unlucky record of falling at the first fence in two of them. In the other two races, where he managed to get over the first fence, he would also complete the course.

His best effort came in 1953, when he would win the race for trainer Vincent O’Brien, ridden by Brian Marshall. This pair would go on to win the Grand National again a year later, and this would be the first of three National wins for O’Brien.

Leading from early on the second circuit, Early Mist went clear and simply never stopped, much to the delight of those who took the 20/1 on him to win. He was in control of the race a long way from home. Many were waiting for him to slow, but he never did. He would record a winning distance of 20 lengths.

But Early Mist would actually only end up in the hands of O’Brien due to a sad event. The horse was initially trained by JV Rank, a man who trained in Ireland and was a big lover of the Grand National.

He would train this horse when he first went to Aintree, falling at the first fence, so he got to see him in a National. However, shortly after that race, Rank would pass away, and as part of a dispersal sale from his yard, the horse would be bought and sent to O’Brien.

Early Mist would give him his first Grand National winner, but he’d already won many of the top races multiple times by this point in his career.

When the horses were sold from the yard of JV Rank, Joe Griffin was the man who bought Early Mist and sent him to O’Brien for training. Before the 1953 Grand National, the story goes that O’Brien rang Griffin and told him to have a “good bet” on Early Mist because he really fancied him to go well.

It is reported that Griffin won £100,000 from his bet on Early Mist to win the 1953 Grand National.

Early Mist’s Big Race Wins

Away from the Grand National, the Newbury Autumn Cup was the other big race that Early Mist won, though, of course, this is nowhere near as big as the Grand National.

Elsewhere, the horse would have a really different journey to many and would record wins in England, Ireland and France during his time racing.

This was in the main due to being trained in different countries, though his biggest wins would all be in England, and this is where he found fame, thanks to a great win in the Grand National in 1953.

Full Results

Year Result Prize Money Handicap Jockey Trainer
1956 Fence 1 - Fell - 12-1 Bryan Marshall M Vincent O’Brien
1955 9 - 12-3 Bryan Marshall M Vincent O’Brien
1953 1 £9255 10s 11-2 Bryan Marshall M Vincent O’Brien
1952 Fence 1 - Fell - 10-11 Pat Taaffe Unknown