The 1865 Grand National was a tough test for those involved, with soft ground making this even harder than the race is typically. Of the 23 runners that began the contest, just five of them were able to finish.
Alcibiade led them home, though only narrowly. He took the race by just a head, with Hall Court back in second place. This was the first of two occasions that Hall Court finished second in this race.
Alcibiade was a big price, sent off with an SP of 100/7, and Hall Court was 40/1, so the finish was fought out by two horses that were not fancied by the punters on that particular day.
It was the first time that Alcibiade had run in the Grand National, but he would go on to make a real name for himself in the race.
He would run a total of six times in the contest between 1865 and 1871. He completed on four out of the six runs and would end with one victory plus two placed efforts, 3rd in 1868 and 4th in 1869.
The winning trainer of Alcibiade was C.Cornell, and he would train this horse throughout his career, meaning he brought him to Aintree for this race six times. He would only have a total of seven career Grand National runners, with this horse making up most of those.
Captain Henry Coventry was the winning rider on the day, and this would be the one and only time he would ever ride in the Grand National, he would never participate in the race again.
The winner from 1864, Emblematic, was back to defend his crown here and ran well to finish third, while the 1863 winner, Emblem, was also in the race, but he fell and did not complete it.
Results
| Result | Horse | Starting Price | Age | Handicap | Prize Money | Jockey | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alcibiade | 100/7 | 5 | 11-4 | £1105 | Capt B Coventry | C Cornell |
| 2 | Hall Court | 50/1 | 6 | 11-00 | - | Capt Arthur Tempest | W Saunders |
| 3 | Emblematic | 5/1 | 7 | 11-10 | - | George Stevens | Edwin Weever |
| 4 | Mistake | Unknown | 5 | 10-8 | - | W Jarvis | Unknown |
| 5 | Merrimac | 33/1 | 8 | 11-4 | - | Ben Land Jnr | W Burbidge |
Non Finishers
| Horse | Fence | Reason | Starting Price | Age | Handicap | Jockey | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acrobat | 1 | Refused | 50/1 | Unknown | 11-9 | W Mumford | G Bloss |
| Ballycasey (1) | FNC BEF Bechers Brook 2ND CIR | Fell | Unknown | Unknown | 11-00 | T Barton | Unknown |
| Express | END 1ST CIR | Pulled Up | Unknown | Unknown | 11-6 | D Collins | D Collins |
| Lightheart | LATE Canal Side 2ND CIR | Pulled Up | 20/1 | Unknown | 10-12 | J Monaghan | J Peace |
| Market Gardener | 2 | Refused | Unknown | Unknown | 10-00 | T Spence | Unknown |
| Tumbler | END 1ST CIR | Pulled Up | Unknown | Unknown | 10-6 | G Drake | Unknown |
| Flyfisher | Anchor Bridge Crossing 2ND CIR | Pulled Up | Unknown | 6 | 11-12 | J Riddell | T Golby |
| Philosopher | LATE Canal Side 2ND CIR | Pulled Up | Unknown | 6 | 10-8 | E Jones | J Peace |
| Princess Dagmar | 3RD FNC 2ND CIR | Pulled Up | 100/8 | 7 | 10-12 | George Holman | Unknown |
| Joe Maley | 2ND FNC 2ND CIR | Fell | 100/12 | 8 | 11-10 | Johnny Page | H Hadley |
| Tony Lumpkin | 3RD FNC 2ND CIR | Pulled Up | 100/7 | 8 | 10-4 | Tommy Pickernell | Unknown |
| The Dwarf (2) | END 1ST CIR | Pulled Up | 25/1 | 12 | 10-00 | J Igoe | J Igoe |
| Emblem | LATE 2ND CIR | Pulled Up | 100/8 | 9 | 12-4 | W Walters | Edwin Weever |
| The Czar | LATE Canal Side 2ND CIR | Pulled Up | 20/1 | 12 | 10-00 | Alec Goodman | Unknown |
| Meanwood | 3RD FNC 2ND CIR | Pulled Up | 50/1 | 6 | 11-9 | J Knott | John Nightingall |
| Stanton | FNC BEF Bechers Brook 2ND CIR | Pulled Up | 9/1 | 7 | 10-8 | George Waddington | W Scott |
| Arbury | Bechers Brook 2ND CIR | Fell | 100/8 | 7 | 11-8 | Charles Boyce | W Balchin |
| The Freshman | EARLY 2ND CIR | Pulled Up | 40/1 | 12 | 10-10 | D Meaney | T Golby |