Playfair

Playfair would put his name into the horse racing record book in 1888, when he won the Grand National at Aintree. This would be the only time that the horse ran in the famous race, so it was a case of one win from one run and no more.

Races during this era were much smaller, with this being a typical example that saw just 20 runners go to post for it.

He would land the race ahead of Frigate, one of the star mares from the Grand National. She would win the race a year later, and this was the second time she was second, so Playfair showed a really strong level of form to get the better of her.

Ridden by George Mawson, he would time his challenge well to hit the front near the line and hold off Frigate, who was finishing well, but couldn’t get anywhere close, with Playfair winning by 10 lengths.

Sent off at odds of 40/1, there was little support for Playfair ahead of the race, and given his form coming in, plus connections, that’s not a big surprise really. But he definitely outran those odds and put up a really strong performance to win the Grand National.

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