1923 Grand National: Results, Runners & Fallers

On good to firm ground in 1923, the winner of the Grand National at Aintree was Sergeant Murphy, an American-bred horse who would race during his career in the UK.

Sergeant Murphy was an excellent servant to his trainers, plus racing in general. He would go on to run in the Grand National a total of seven times, which is a remarkable feat during any era, but especially at a time when the race was such a tough test.

When winning the race in 1923, he was trained by George Blackwell, who would have the horse in his care for four of the seven Grand National bids he made.

This would be the one and only Grand National success of Blackwell’s career, where he would also have runners placed in the race four times, so he certainly knew how to get one ready for it.

Tuppy Bennet would ride the horse to success in what would be the last of his four Grand National rides.

Sergeant Murphy was sent off on the day at odds of 100/6 and would claim the race by a winning distance of three lengths. Shaun Spadah would finish second this year, a horse that had previously won the race back in 1921.

Hollywood Film Sergeant Murphy Tells Story of Winner

In 1938, a film was released named Sergeant Murphy, and it loosely told the story of the Grand National winner from 1923, following his career, plus the story of those around him.

Playing Stephen Sanford, owner of the horse, was an actor at the time Ronald Reagan.

Of course, he would go on to be the 40^th president of the United States in the 1980s, and all the films he was in gained popularity due to this, so the story of Sergeant Murphy was put out to a broader audience.

Results

Non Finishers