A remarkable pile-up and just one horse going around the course without falling, the 1928 Grand National was full of drama and began the call for the race to be made safer for those taking part.
Winning the race was Tipperary Tim, who was sent off at 100/1 on the day and clearly unfancied by anyone to go well in the race. But plenty of fallers, in fact, every other horse apart from this one fell, combined with the conditions being described as very heavy, led to a big Grand National upset.
Forty-two horses would start the race, while just two would finish, and of those 42, all but one managed to fall at some point in the contest, in what was a real test for everyone involved and, for some people, too much.
The winning trainer was Joseph Dodd, a trainer who only operated with a very small string, and he only actually had three Grand National attempts, two of them with this horse.
The jockey on the day was Bill Dutton, a man who would only have five Grand National rides in his career. From those, this was the only time he would complete the course, doing something that year that no other rider was able to do.
One of the greatest Grand National stories ever comes from the paddock before this race, involving a friend of Bill Dutton. The friend allegedly shouted to Dutton when he was mounting his horse that he would only win the race if all the others fell, and that’s exactly what they did.
With Tipperary Tim completing the course clean and Billy Barton falling at the last before being remounted to cross the finishing line, just two runners would officially complete this year’s Grand National. That makes this the record year for the fewest Grand National finishers.
Canal Turn Decimates Field and Brings Forward Race Modification
The incident at the Canal Turn completely decimated the field for this running of the Grand National, accounting for a large number of the fallers we had in the race.
At the time, early in the race, many of the 42 runners were still left in the contest, but after, just seven remained. Easter Hero was out in the lead, and he would fall at the Canal Turn, causing mayhem in behind, as other runners also fell, causing a pile-up where even those that did jump the fence got caught up and struggled to get past, meaning they would also fall.
Seven escaped the trouble and would go on to continue the race from this point.
This incident accelerated talks to make the Canal Turn much safer, and before the next race in 1929, it was decided that the ditch landing spot would be filled in so as not to make the fence as steep and hopefully make it safer for the participants.
At the time, the race was seen as a very dangerous event to take part in, but of course, over the years, modifications would come, and this was one of the early ones.
Results
| Result | Horse | Starting Price | Age | Handicap | Prize Money | Jockey | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tipperary Tim | 100/1 | 10 | 10-00 | £11255 | Bill Dutton | Joseph Dodd |
| 2 | Billy Barton | 33/1 | 10 | 10-11 | - | Tommy Cullinan | Aubrey Hastings |