At the time, the 1836 Grand National, or Grand Liverpool Steeplechase, as it was known as the time, was seen and marketed as the first race of its kind and was known as that for around 30 years.
However, later in time, the first three races from 1836 until 1838 were taken off the official records of the race. Instead, they were known as pre-cursors, and not classed as official running’s for the purposes of records.
A total of 10 runners would head to the post for this one, with a 3/1 shot, The Duke, coming home in front to win the race by a winning distance of one length. Of those ten runners, just four would manage to complete the race, and the time was very slow.
The winning time was just over 20 minutes, and when winning a year later, The Duke would knock over five minutes off that winning time. To give you an idea of how much the horses and riders struggled with the early Grand National races, despite an almost identical track in use, this race time is more than double what the current Grand National record time sits at.
The horse would go on to win the race again a year later and was then third in 1838. However, despite being a two-time winner and finishing third in another race, in terms of the official record books, The Duke isn’t in, as all three races he took part in have been taken out of the official records.
There was no trainer listed for The Duke in either of his three runs in the race, so that man remains a mystery, he was privately trained, according to the record of this race.
The winning jockey this year was Captain Martin Becher, a man who had three Grand National rides in total, but only one of those is in the official record books. A winner here, he finished third on the same horse in 1838 before falling on Conrad in 1839, the only one outing of his to be officially recorded as a Grand National effort.
At the time, there was little appetite for a race of this nature, both from the public and competitors, with things beginning very slowly and also quite unorganised. It is for this reason mainly that the races have been excluded from public records of the Grand National. Instead, they are looked upon as pre-cursors to the Grand National, which, according to records, officially began in 1839.
Results
Result | Horse | Starting Price | Age | Handicap | Prize Money | Jockey | Trainer |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | The Duke | 3/1 | 7 | 12-00 | £170 | Capt Martin Becher | Unknown |
2 | Polyanthus | 5/1 | 5 | 12-4 | - | Dick Christian | Unknown |
3 | Cockahoop | 9/1 | 6 | 12-00 | - | Bartholomew Bretherton | Unknown |
4 | Percy | 6/1 | Unknown | 12-00 | - | W Tempest | Unknown |
Non Finishers
Horse | Fence | Reason | Starting Price | Age | Handicap | Jockey | Trainer |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cowslip | END 1ST CIR | Pulled Up | 12/1 | Unknown | 12-00 | S Martin | Unknown |
Gulliver | END 1ST CIR | Pulled Up | 8/1 | Unknown | 12-00 | J Denton | Unknown |
The Baronet | Bechers Brook 2ND CIR | Pulled Up | 6/1 | Unknown | 12-00 | E Kershaw | E Kershaw |
The Sweep | Bechers Brook 2ND CIR | Pulled Up | 10/1 | Unknown | 12-00 | Giles Patrick | Unknown |
Laurie Todd | Anchor Bridge Crossing 2ND CIR | Fell | 2/1 | Unknown | 12-00 | Horatio Powell | Unknown |
Derry | Bechers Brook 2ND CIR | Pulled Up | 8/1 | Unknown | 12-00 | John Devine | J Webster |