Playfair would win the 1888 Grand National, and he did so in really good style, coming away from the field to record a winning distance of 10 lengths.
He would be Frigate, a horse who had finished second before and a horse who would land the 1889 Grand National 12 months later.
The race was run on good to soft ground, and that allowed 11 of the 20 runners to complete the course and cross the finishing line.
Sent off at odds of 40/1, there were not too many people that fancied Playfair to win this race. It was his first visit to the Grand National and would be the only time he ran in the contest.
The winning trainer was Tom Cannon, a man who would send 11 runners to the Grand National during his career, and this would be the only time he would have the winner of the race.
The jockey on the day was George Mawson, who would win the Grand National just once from a total of eight starts. This was the first time he had ridden in the race. He had a placed effort a year later, but after that, he failed to have any more success.
Results
| Result | Horse | Starting Price | Age | Handicap | Prize Money | Jockey | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Playfair | 40/1 | 7 | 10-7 | £1175 | George Mawson | Tom Cannon |
| 2 | Frigate | 100/8 | 10 | 11-2 | - | William Beasley | M Maher |
| 3 | Ballot Box | 25/1 | 9 | 12-4 | - | William Nightingall | Sam Darling |
| 4 | Ringlet | 100/9 | 7 | 11-11 | - | Tom Skelton | Tom Skelton |
| 5 | Aladdin | 33/1 | 6 | 11-00 | - | Chris Waller | Tom Cannon |
| 6 | Jeanie | 200/1 | 5 | 10-6 | - | Arthur Barker | W Wilson |
| 7 | Gamecock | 20/1 | 9 | 12-4 | - | Capt Roddy Owen | A Yates |
| 8 | Magic | 25/1 | 9 | 10-12 | - | Arthur Hall | John Jones |
| 9 | Johnny Longtail | 40/1 | 10 | 12-00 | - | Bill Dollery | A Yates |
| 10 | The Badger | 10/1 | 11 | 11-1 | - | Arthur Nightingall | Thomas Leader |
| 11 | Old Joe | 18/1 | 9 | 11-9 | - | Bill Daniels | George Mulcaster |
Non Finishers
| Horse | Fence | Reason | Starting Price | Age | Handicap | Jockey | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Fawn | 2 | Fell | 20/1 | 6 | 10-6 | E P Wilson | T Wadlow |
| Cork | 9 | Pulled Up | 100/1 | 7 | 10-6 | William Woodland | E Woodland |
| Usna | 28 | Pulled Up | 7/1 | 7 | 12-7 | Harry Beasley Snr | Henry Linde |
| Chancellor | Pulled Up | 8/1 | 8 | 11-5 | William Moore | S Harding | |
| Bellona | 13 | Fell | 100/6 | 6 | 11-12 | Charles John Cunningham | J Cannon |
| Kinfauns | 3 | Refused | 100/1 | 7 | 10-10 | Jesse Page | W Roser |
| Savoyard | 29 | Fell | 25/1 | 10 | 12-4 | George Lambton | S Harding |
| Trap | 17 | Fell | 20/1 | 8 | 10-6 | Gustavus Lowe | Sam Darling |
| Spahi | 3 | Refused | 33/1 | 7 | 11-9 | Terry Kavanagh | Henry Linde |