Grakle

Grakle would turn out to be a regular at Aintree during his racing career, and he would record a total of six runs in the Grand National, a real achievement on its own. They would come across six consecutive years, from 1927 until 1932.

In attempt number five at the race, which would be in 1931, the horse was able to get his head in front and win the contest, returning at an SP of 100/6. He would record a winning distance of one and a half lengths, but there was a lot more to it than that.

He would break the course record when winning the race, a terrific performance that deserves a lot of credit despite those behind being so close to him at the end of the race.

However, when you look at his record overall, the horse didn’t have the best time in the race and would only complete on two out of his six tries. Sixth in 1929 saw him finish for the first time, one of two overall, and on his final appearance, in 1932, when defending his crown, he would refuse at the 15^th fence.

In terms of Grakle as a racehorse, there’s actually more about him than just this Grand National win, and he would go on to help create a new tool for racing. The Grakle noseband was something created following inspiration from the horse, a tool that is still used today to control horses that are very difficult to handle.

Grakle was known for pulling very hard when on the course and demanded an expert on board to keep him under control, but even for the best, this was difficult. The Grakle noseband was used on the horse, with a figure of eight design, which made it different from a normal noseband, something that would allow the person on board even more control when riding.

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