The 1879 Grand National was won in pretty comfortable fashion by The Liberator, who would come home to win the race by a distance of 10 lengths.
On good to soft ground, he would come home in front and return with a starting price of 5/1 on the day, as punters clearly fancied his chances of a win in the race.
The horse had two previous attempts to win it, falling on his first outing before finishing a good third two years earlier in 1877. With that experience under his belt, he was able to go better here and win the race.
A year later, he would be back for more and almost managed to double up, finishing second in the 1880 race in what would be his fourth Grand National run. In total, he would run seven times in the race. From 1876 to 1886, he completed five times and finished first, second and third in the contest.
J.Moore was the winning trainer, having his first and only Grand National success. He would have a total of 10 runners in the race during his career, training The Liberator in four of his seven runs, and they were the best four finishes he had in the race.
Garrett Moore was the winning rider, a man who also owned this horse during the time. He was a low-key rider who had a total of five Grand National rides, three of them coming on this horse. He rode the horse and owned it when he finished first and second in the race, so he was successful with him.
Results
| Result | Horse | Starting Price | Age | Handicap | Prize Money | Jockey | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Liberator | 5/1 | 10 | 11-4 | £1695 | Garrett Moore | J H Moore |
| 2 | Jackal | 1000/65 | 11 | 11-00 | - | John Jones | John Jones |
| 3 | Martha (2) | 50/1 | 8 | 10-13 | - | Tommy Beasley | Henry Linde |
| 4 | Wild Monarch | 20/1 | 8 | 11-7 | - | Henry Andrews | Unknown |
| 5 | Bob Ridley | 33/1 | 8 | 10-9 | - | E P Wilson | Unknown |
| 6 | Regal | 5/2 | 8 | 11-10 | - | James Jewitt | James Jewitt |
| 7 | Lord Marcus | Unknown | 7 | 10-9 | - | William Beasley | G Knox |
| 8 | Rossanmore | 50/1 | 9 | 10-7 | - | M Toole | J Connolly |
| 9 | Brigand | 50/1 | 9 | 10-10 | - | Count Metternich | William Reeves |
| 10 | Turco | 100/6 | 7 | 10-9 | - | Harry Beasley Snr | Henry Linde |
Non Finishers
| Horse | Fence | Reason | Starting Price | Age | Handicap | Jockey | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marshal Niel | 17 | Fell | 100/8 | 5 | 10-12 | P Gavin | William Reeves |
| His Lordship | 1 | Brought Down | 20/1 | 6 | 10-12 | G Levitt | C Rowlands |
| Queen Of Kildare | 2 | Refused | 40/1 | 6 | 11-5 | J Doucie | P Doucie |
| Victor II | 17 | Pulled Up | 100/8 | 5 | 10-12 | Johnny Beasley | Garrett Moore |
| The Bear | 1 | Refused | 10/1 | 6 | 10-7 | Richard Marsh | Richard Marsh |
| Bacchus | 1 | Fell | 10/1 | 5 | 11-1 | Joe Cannon | Robert I’Anson Jr |
| Bellringer | 1 | Brought Down | 100/6 | 7 | 10-7 | Arthur Coventry | Cartwright |
| Concha | 1 | Fell | 50/1 | 6 | 10-2 | Capt William Morris | Unknown |