The 1889 Grand National saw a win by Frigate, who came home to win a close contest by just one length, with Why Not finishing in second. These two were well clear of the remaining horses and had a great battle at the finish.
Why Not landed a deserved success a few years after this in 1894, while Frigate was definitely a horse who deserved a win in the race. This was his sixth attempt at winning a race, and previously, he had finished second on three different occasions, in 1884, 1885 and 1888.
He was an excellent Grand National horse, knew how to get around the tricky racecourse at Aintree, and finally got a reward here.
The 1889 race was run on good ground, and Frigate was sent off at 8/1, so he was fancied by plenty of people, though he was not favourite, probably because many thought he had already missed his chance to be an Aintree winner.
The winning trainer was M Maher, who would have his one and only success in the Grand National here. The jockey was Tommy Beasley, who was a really successful jockey at the time, and this was his third Grand National career win, it would also be his last.
Back-to-back wins in 1880 and 1881 were a great start, and Frigate gave him a third winner. Beasley had a great ability to get around Aintree. He would have a total of 12 Grand National rides, and he managed to complete 10 of them, with three wins and three places.
Results
| Result | Horse | Starting Price | Age | Handicap | Prize Money | Jockey | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Frigate | 8/1 | 11 | 11-4 | £1234 | Tommy Beasley | M Maher |
| 2 | Why Not | 100/9 | 8 | 11-5 | - | Charles John Cunningham | H Hall |
| 3 | M.P. | 20/1 | 8 | 10-9 | - | Arthur Nightingall | George Mulcaster |
| 4 | Bellona | 20/1 | 7 | 11-2 | - | Chris Waller | J Cannon |
| 5 | Magic | 25/1 | 10 | 10-9 | - | John Jones | John Jones |
| 6 | The Sikh | 100/9 | 6 | 10-4 | - | Dan Thirlwell | S Harding |
| 7 | The Fawn | 25/1 | 7 | 10-10 | - | William Beasley | H Horton |
| 8 | Ringlet | 66/1 | 8 | 11-12 | - | John Walsh | Sam Darling |
| 9 | Battle Royal | 25/1 | 5 | 10-8 | - | Harry Beasley Snr | Lewis |
| 10 | Gamecock | 33/1 | 10 | 11-12 | - | Bill Dollery | A Yates |
| 11 | Glenthorpe | 10/1 | 5 | 10-10 | - | William Moore | Willie Moore |
| 12 | Roquefort | 6/1 | 10 | 12-00 | - | E P Wilson | W Wilson |
Non Finishers
| Horse | Fence | Reason | Starting Price | Age | Handicap | Jockey | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Et Caetera | 3 | Fell | 8/1 | 5 | 10-13 | George Morris | J Cannon |
| Hettie | 3 | Fell | 66/1 | 6 | 10-5 | Arthur Hall | John Jones |
| Great Paul | 27 | Pulled UP | 200/1 | 7 | 10-00 | W Ellis | Willie Moore |
| Ballot Box | 4 | Pulled UP | 20/1 | 10 | 12-7 | William Nightingall | Sam Darling |
| Kilworth | 4 | Refused | 40/1 | 12 | 10-13 | Capt Roddy Owen | S Harding |
| Savoyard | 1 | Brought Down | 25/1 | 11 | 11-11 | George Lambton | S Harding |
| Voluptuary | 23 | Fell | 100/6 | 11 | 11-3 | Tom Skelton | W Wilson |
| Merry Maiden | 1 | Refused | 66/1 | 7 | 10-7 | Capt S F Lee-Barber | Unknown |