The Big Breakaway Grand National Wins
The Big Breakaway has never won the Grand National.
They have never finished the race.
The Big Breakaway has spent his career with the Tizzard team, first of all with Colin Tizzard, and then after he retired, his son Joe took over the reins, with the horse remaining under his care. Foaled in 2015, the horse has been running at a very high level throughout his career, including at the start of hurdles.
However, what is missing from the horse’s CV is a big race win. He’s been in the frame plenty, but not really translated that into enough wins along the way. Running over longer trips was always going to be the future for this horse, even during his younger years, he was running over two and a half miles.
In 2023, The Big Breakaway ran in his first Grand National, however, the horse was unable to get too far around Aintree Racecourse. He was midfield when falling at the second fence in the race.
Full Results
| Year | Result | Prize Money | Handicap | Jockey | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Fence 2 - Fell | - | 10-10 | Brendan Powell Jnr | Joe Tizzard |
The Big Breakaway’s Early Years
It is fair to say that The Big Breakaway really hit the ground running when we first saw him. On the amateur circuit, he made his point-to-point debut in April 2019. Not only did he win that race, but he came home with ease to win by 10 lengths, and it was a very impressive start.
Soon after, he was sent across the Irish Sea, and to the yard of Colin Tizzard, where he would race in the UK and under rules. In November of the same year, he made his British debut, running in a Chepstow maiden hurdle, recording the second win of his career by eight lengths. That was followed up by his third win, this time at Newbury, and this time by seven lengths. After three races, three nice wins by a good margin, The Big Breakaway was making big waves.
Those wins would take the horse to the 2020 Cheltenham Festival, where he ran in the Grade One Ballymore Novice Hurdle, finishing a very respectable fourth behind Envoi Allen in the race.
The following season would see the horse go novice chasing, beginning at Cheltenham where he won a good race on debut, but that would be the only win of the season for him. He did run well in a number of races, including finishing second in the Grade One Kauto Star Novices’ Chase, third in the Grade One RSA Chase at the Cheltenham Festival, and second in another minor event.
During this time, the horse moved up in trip, which he seemed to relish, while he was also able to run in highly competitive races, taking in three Grade One events along the way.
The Big Breakaway’s Big Race Wins
While the CV of The Big Breakaway may be impressive in terms of the races he’s run in, and the good second and third-placed finishes he’s had, a big race win is missing from that.
He certainly looks capable, though as time has gone on, this horse has looked harder to win with, despite still being rated highly and showing a fair level of form.