The Soarer Grand National Wins
- 1896 - ridden by David Campbell trained by Willie Moore
The Soarer was a good quality steeplechaser who etched his name into Grand National history with a strong and determined victory in the 1896 running of the famous race. His final record in the race would leave him with one victory from three runs, and the win would be the only time that he completed the Aintree course.
He was trained by the accomplished Willie Moore, The Soarer was owned by William Walker for his Grand National win and ridden to victory by David Campbell, a talented amateur jockey. There’s plenty more to that particular story, more on that below around his ownership change before Aintree.
He was known for his toughness and strong jumping ability, qualities that served him well over Aintree’s daunting fences.
The 1896 Grand National was a fiercely contested renewal, with several seasoned contenders in the field, including the rising star Manifesto, who was brought down that year and didn’t complete.
The Soarer was not the favourite but had shown enough ability in his previous outings to be given a chance, though in the betting market he was sent off at 40/1, so there weren’t many putting their money on him.
Carrying a low weight, he coped well with the going and gradually moved through the field with a measured and steady move.
In the final stages of the race, the Soarer took the lead and stayed on strongly to win by two lengths. His victory was attributed to his stamina he would be the strongest stayer on the day.
The Soarer’s Grand National win was the pinnacle of his career, and while he would return for the following two years, he would not manage to complete the course in either of those. Falling in 1897 when defending his crown, he would then unseat his rider in 1898, in what would be his third and final Grand National attempt.
Full Results
| Year | Result | Prize Money | Handicap | Jockey | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1898 | Fence - Unseated Rider | - | 11-5 | Arthur Nightingall | Willie Moore |
| 1897 | Fence - Fell | - | 11-4 | David Campbell | Willie Moore |
| 1896 | 1 | £1975 | 9-13 | David Campbell | Willie Moore |
The Soarer Sold by Jockey to Owner Weeks Before Grand National Win
The full details of the story around this bizarre incident are not really known, but what we can say is that there must not have been any kind of fallout with what happened at Aintree.
Jockey David Campbell will go down as the winning rider of The Soarer, but he could have been the winning owner also. He owned the horse right up until a few weeks before the Grand National, when he sold him to William Walker.
It’s not clear why, but had Campbell held onto his runner for a few more weeks, he would have been the winning jockey and owner of the runner. As mentioned, things must have been fine between the pair, as Campbell rode the horse in both 1896 and 1897.