Rubio

It’s not too often we say this, but Rubio, winner of the 1908 Grand National, was an American bred horse, rising through the ranks and delivering on the biggest stage.

He wasn’t fancied to go well in the National, so much so that he was sent off with odds of 66/1, he was given no chance by bookmakers and punters, but proved them all wrong in style.

24 runners would take part, with many unable to keep up with the pace and jumping test that was on show, but there was no stopping Rubio. He was jumping very well, and that got plenty of other runners into trouble.

Coming into the closing stages, he would hit the front to go and win the race, pulling clear, and winning by 10 lengths. It was a success that defied his big odds on the day.

A year later, the horse would be back looking to do it all over again, but this time around, jumping would let him down, and he would fall in the 1909 renewal.

Trained by Frank Withington, he had plenty of runners in the Grand National but this was his only winner. The success was made even sweeter though, as he also trained the second horse, Mattie Macgregor.

Full Results