Sunloch Grand National Wins
- 1914 - ridden by W J Smith trained by T Tyler
Sunloch does not go down as one of the most popular Grand National winners, but he’s still a winner, and would take the race in 1914.
He was a pretty unknown horse at the time, from a simple background, being both trained and owned by the small stable of Tom Tyler, who was only known by locals around him in racing, based in Oxfordshire.
The horse was relatively unfancied on the day, going off with an SP of 100/6, which is around 16/1 using today’s pricing structure.
It was a Grand National ran during national uncertainty. Run at the end of March, the race would take place just a few months before the start of World War I.
Ridden by W.Smith, the horse would quickly jump into a lead in the race, with Smith trying to make all on his mount. Helped by some fantastic jumping, the horse was able to keep going for the duration of the race, and his bold front running style made for great viewing.
He was expected to tire, or make a mistake, but neither came, despite the gruelling four mile trip that he faced.
His jumping in the race was so good that one of the fences on track was named after him, a small and fitting tribute for his racing style. He also stood out as a win for the underdog. The Tyler yard wasn’t fancy, a simple and basic horse racing yard where a small number of horses were looked after well, trained the best they could be, and the basics were done correctly.
The horse would be the only ever runner for Tyler in the race, and would come back after the war in 1919 to try and win it again, though this time he was a veteran in years, and pulled up during the contest.