1940 Grand National: Results, Runners & Fallers

1940 Grand National Winners Mervyn Jones and Bogskar
Flight Sergeant Mervyn Jones and Bogskar

The 1940 Grand National would be the final running of the race until after World War II. This was the 99th running of the contest, and we would have to wait until 1946 to see the 100th race.

This particular contest saw just 30 runners go to post, a much smaller field than we’ve been used to associating with this race. The horse to come out on top was Bogskar, who would win the prize at odds of 25/1, recording a winning distance of four lengths over MacMoffat in second place.

Bogskar was having his first run in the race when landing the odds and would be in training to go again in 1946 and 1947, but he fell on both occasions. Had the race continued during the war, he would have been in his prime during those years and could have possibly won it again.

Lord Stalbridge was the winning trainer, taking care of a small string of runners, he would have five total attempts at the Grand National, with three of them coming with this horse. From those five efforts, this was the only time he saw his runner complete the course.

Flight Sergeant Mervyn Jones was the winning rider on the day, and it was his first and only ride ever in the Grand National. Who knows if he could have won it again. He was very sadly killed when his Spitfire was shot down over Norway, in 1942.

Results

Result Horse Starting Price Age Handicap Prize Money Jockey Trainer
1 Bogskar 25/1 7 10-4 £5000 M Jones Stalbridge
2 MacMoffat 8/1 8 10-10 £50 Ian Alder Captain L Scott Briggs
3 Gold Arrow 50/1 8 10-3 £250 sov Peter Lay J R Neill
4 Symaethis 100/6 8 10-7 - Matthew Feakes G Langlands

Non Finishers

Horse Fence Reason Starting Price Age Handicap Jockey Trainer
Dunhill Castle 13 Fell 50/1 10 11-5 Gerald Wilson H Lowe
Rockquilla 13 Fell 20/1 10 11-5 Thomas F Carey George Beeby
Lazy Boots 14 Fell 100/1 14 10-3 James Ward Geoffrey Congreve
Luxborough 14 Fell 100/1 6 10-3 Eric Brown A Wood
Corn Law 14 Fell 100/1 8 10-3 Thomas McNeill T Rayson
National Knight 14 Fell 100/1 8 10-4 Hywell Jones J Anthony
Under Bid 14 Fell 33/1 8 10-3 Frenchie Nicholson Percy Whitaker
Red Freeman 14 Fell 50/1 9 10-3 Bill Redmond P Thrale
Second Act 14 Fell 100/1 9 10-3 Jack Dowdeswell J B Powell
Sterling Duke 14 Fell 100/6 9 10-3 Tim Hyde (1) Unknown
Tuckmill 14 Fell 100/1 10 10-3 Glen Kelly C Kelly
Downright 14 Fell 100/1 11 10-3 Jim Seely W Bissill
Bachelor Prince 14 Fell 100/1 13 10-3 Mr R Loewenstein L Elwell
Knightsbrook 16 Fell 100/1 Unknown 10-9 Unknown J Anthony
Takvor Pacha 16 Fell 33/1 8 10-4 Otho Prior-Palmer F Brown
Away 16 Fell 100/1 9 11-13 Ian ‘Kim’ Muir L K Muir
Boyo 16 Fell 66/1 9 10-4 Richard Morgan Reg Hobbs
Dominick's Cross 16 Fell 40/1 9 11-1 Cyril Mitchell William Payne
Milano 16 Fell 100/9 9 10-9 Danny Morgan Ivor Anthony
Red Eagle 16 Fell 50/1 9 11-2 Tommy Elder W James
Venturesome Knight 16 Fell 28/1 10 10-8 Reg Tweedie J S Wight
Litigant 16 Fell 50/1 9 10-7 Richard ‘Dicky’ Black Maj Noel Furlong
Inversible 16 Fell 25/1 12 10-6 Matt Hogan J S Wight
Le Cygne 16 Fell 100/1 7 10-7 W T O’Grady O Anthony
Black Hawk 16 Fell 100/6 9 11-00 Thomas Frederic Rimell J Goldsmith
Kilstar 16 Fell 5/1 9 11-00 George Archibald Jnr O Anthony
Royal Danieli 29 Fell 4/1 9 11-13 Dan Moore Unknown
The Professor II 29 Fell 100/8 9 11-8 George Owen Storie