Santini Grand National Wins
Santini has never won the Grand National.
Their best finish to date was in 2022 where they came 4th. They were ridden by Nick Scholfield and trained by Polly Gundry.
It’s fair to call Santini a little quirky, something we’ve seen a lot of during his racing career. However, the Grand National seemed to bring out the best in him when he went to the race in 2022 for the first time. He rediscovered his old form in that run, enough to finish fourth in the race.
Prior to that, in his younger days, he looked like a world-beater, performing well in many big races. Foaled in 2012, he started in training with Nicky Henderson but then moved to the Polly Gundry yard, which is who took him to the Grand National.
Full Results
| Year | Result | Prize Money | Handicap | Jockey | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 4 | £65,000 | 11-2 | Nick Scholfield | Polly Gundry |
Excellent Big Race Record
While the form during his later years hasn’t always been strong for Santini, you cannot take away from him the quality that he showed in his earlier days. He went to the Cheltenham Festival twice during his novice years, finishing third in the Albert Bartlett novice hurdle and, a year later, second in the RSA novice chase.
In 2020, he went to the Cheltenham Festival as a strongly fancied horse, taking on Al Boum Photo. The pair had a fantastic dual, with Al Boum Photo coming out on top to win the race by a neck. For many, this was the moment that Santini never recovered from, many suggest this defeat broke the heart of Santini, and he was never the same again.
Santini’s Early Years
The first part of Santini’s career was where he shined. Before running under rules, he ran once in the point-to-point sphere, shaping up as an impressive 15-length winner and quickly being sent to the Nicky Henderson yard after that.
His first rules run was a win at Newbury, he was instantly put into Grade Two company after that, winning that also, and then was the Cheltenham Festival. Experience hurt him here, but he was still a strong third in the race, making amends a few weeks later with a big Grade One win at Aintree.
He then went novice chasing, won on debut before finishing third in his second race, and then went to the Cheltenham Festival, where he finished second, again, experience may have played a part in that.
Santini’s Big Race Wins Up Until 2022
As mentioned, Santini has been on some of the biggest stages of them all, and while he’s won his fair share of good races, he’s also run well but not won on a few occasions.
In terms of race wins, the Grade One novice hurdle that he won at Aintree during his early days is the only Grade One win to his name. He was the favourite for the Sefton Hurdle that day and delivered in front of a big crowd.
Elsewhere, he’s won at Grade Two level three times, and the biggest of those was his win in the Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham. This came before his run in the Gold Cup, known as a good prep for it, but when he went to the Gold Cup, he was unable to crack Al Boum Photo.