
The winner of the 1842 Grand National was Gaylad, who came away from the field to record a winning distance of four lengths after coming away from his challengers towards the end of the race.
Running on good to soft ground, a total of 15 runners would begin the race, and only five of them would be able to complete it.
This was the final time that the race was run using level weights and penalties for winners. Every runner was allotted 12 stone for this particular year, with the exception of Lottery, who was given a penalty for winning the Cheltenham Chase in 1840, a race that is now known as the modern-day Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Being a non-handicap that meant ability was a big part of this race, as weights were not used to level out the competition. The move was big at the time, but it has lasted to the present day and definitely made the race a better spectacle.
This was the one and only time that Gaylad would run in the Grand National, having no prior experience and not coming back to defend his crown afterwards.
He was trained by George Dockeray, a man who was one of the few people to dominate the Grand National in the early years. This was his third win in the race, coming in the space of just four years after wins in 1839 and 1840. They were the first and second official Grand National races after the opening three were ruled out of being official, so Dockeray won three of the first four in official records.
A decade after this success in 1852, he would add a fourth Grand National win to his name when Miss Mowbray won the race for him.
Jockey on the day, Tom Olliver, was another man who would have plenty of early Grand National success, but this was the first of his wins. We had no idea about him at the time.
Twelve months later, he would win the race again on Vanguard before coming back in 1853 with Peter Simple to win again. He was both the trainer and jockey on that occasion.
Results
Result | Horse | Starting Price | Age | Handicap | Prize Money | Jockey | Trainer |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Gaylad | 7/1 | 8 | 12-00 | £515 | Tom Olliver | George Dockeray |
2 | Seventy Four | 6/1 | 9 | 12-00 | - | Horatio Powell | Unknown |
3 | Peter Simple (1) | 8/1 | 8 | 12-00 | - | Robert Hunter | Robert Hunter |
4 | The Returned | 15/1 | 8 | 12-00 | - | W J Hope-Johnstone | Unknown |
5 | Banathlath | 20/1 | 7 | 12-00 | - | Peter Colgan | T Ferguson |
Non Finishers
Horse | Fence | Reason | Starting Price | Age | Handicap | Jockey | Trainer |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Columbine (1) | Anchor Bridge Crossing 2ND CIR | Pulled Up | Unknown | 8 | 12-00 | Larry Byrne | Henry Beresford |
Anonymous | Anchor Bridge Crossing 2ND CIR | Unknown | Unknown | 10 | 12-00 | G Moore | G Moore |
Bangalore | LATE 2ND CIR | Pulled Up | 20/1 | 10 | 12-00 | Capt William Peel | Unknown |
Consul | Bechers Brook 1ST CIR | Brought Down | 10/1 | 10 | 12-00 | F Oldacre | Unknown |
Lottery | Canal Side 2ND CIR | Pulled Up | 5/1 | 12 | 13-4 | Jem Mason | George Dockeray |
Lady Langford | LATE 2ND CIR | Pulled Up | Unknown | Unknown | 12-00 | J Abbott | Unknown |
Lucks-All | LATE 2ND CIR | Pulled Up | 10/1 | 10 | 12-00 | Thomas Goddard | Unknown |
Honesty | Sunken Lane | Refused | Unknown | 9 | 12-00 | William McDonough | Unknown |
Satirist | Sunken Lane | Fell | 100/7 | 6 | 12-00 | Bartholomew Bretherton | Unknown |
Sam Weller | FNC AFT Bechers Brook 1ST CIR | Unseated Rider | 8/1 | 8 | 12-00 | P Barker | Unknown |