The 1970 Grand National was a tough renewal of the race, ran on good ground, with just seven horses managing to complete the course.
Leading them home was Gay Trip, ridden by Pat Taaffe and trained by Fred Rimell. In the end, it was a comfortable success, winning the race by 20 lengths.
With a starting price of 15/1, Gay Trip was fancied by a few people. With both trainer and jockey having previously won the race, there was confidence that they knew what they were doing and what was needed to win this contest.
Vulture was second under Sean Barker, while plenty of the runners who failed to finish were fallers on the day, and sadly, one of those, Racoon, was a fatal faller at the third fence.
Third Race Win for Fred Rimmell
A win in 1970 took Fred Rimell a long way towards being considered a Grand National great, as it was the third time he had won the race. He would win it once again, ending his career with four winners as a horse racing trainer in the Grand National.
Before winning this race, he had previous success with ESB in 1956 and Nicolaus Silver in 1961. Rimell would add a fourth victory in the race in 1976 when he trained Rag Trade to victory at Aintree.
Jockey Pat Taaffe was winning his second Grand National after taking the race in 1955, and this would be his final ride in the race. He retired soon after.
Results
| Result | Horse | Starting Price | Age | Handicap | Prize Money | Jockey | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gay Trip | 15/1 | 8 | 11-5 | £14804 10s | Pat Taaffe | Thomas Frederic Rimell |
| 2 | Vulture | 15/1 | 8 | 10-00 | £4486 | Sean Barker | Tom William Dreaper |
| 3 | Miss Hunter | 33/1 | 9 | 10-00 | £2193 | Francis Shortt | D Auld |
| 4 | Dozo | 100/1 | 9 | 10-4 | £1046 10s | Eddie Harty | G B ‘Toby’ Balding |
| 5 | Ginger Nut | 28/1 | 8 | 10-00 | - | Jimmy Bourke | W D Francis |
| 6 | Pride Of Kentucky | 13/1 | 8 | 10-00 | - | John Buckingham | E R Courage |
| 7 | Assad | 28/1 | 10 | 10-1 | - | Josh Gifford | G Harwood |