
The 1963 Grand National was run on soft ground and featured a narrow winner, with a young jockey on board beginning to show his talents off to the world.
Ayala was the winner, and he won at a big price, too, 66/1, as he was pretty unfancied on the day, but he would prove many wrongs. Winner by three-quarters of a length from Carrickbeg, who finished in second place.
The trainer of Ayala was Keith Piggott, who was also one of his two owners, so it was a double success for him. Keith was the father of Lester Piggott, who would go on to become one of the greatest jockeys of all time.
The Piggott’s had already been involved with the Grand National before this, with Ernie, dad of Keith, rode the winners of the race in 1912 and 1919.
Jockey on the day was Pat Buckley, a 19-year-old who was given the chance to shine. This was his second Grand National ride, he fell at the first fence a year earlier, and it would turn out to be his only winner.
Piggott and Ayala would fail to gain any further success in the race either. Ayala fell in the race on both attempts in the following years, while Piggott’s only other runner would also fall, so the only time they made it around the course, they won.
Gregory Peck Attends Grand National as Owner

One of the most famous screen stars of the era, American actor Gregory Peck, would attend the 1963 Aintree Grand National and do so as an owner.
He owned Owen’s Sedge, who came 7th in the race and ran really well, with Peck flying over to watch the race in person.
Straight after, he jetted back home to Los Angeles, where he would go to an awards ceremony and win an Academy Award for Best Actor that year, showing just how big of a name he was at the time of him having a runner in the race.
Only a few celebrity names, especially from outside of the UK, had runners in the race, Peck was one of the first.
He had a film, ‘Captain Newman M.D’ come out the same year.