Trainer Polly Gundry is not one that you would associate with the bigger races and events in the sport, and her success so far while training has been at a much lower level. That didn’t stop her from training her first Grand National runner in 2022, when she had the pleasure of saddling Santini for the big race, and he ran really well, too, to place fourth in the contest.
The horse had his struggles over the years and was sent to the quieter surroundings of Gundry’s yard in a bid to be rekindled by some TLC, and given his effort in the 2022 race, you could say it was worth it for that alone.
Born on July 3rd, 1975, Gundry spent time as a jockey on the amateur scene before turning her hand to training, and it was here where she had a lot of success. This included writing her name into the history books, as well as bagging a winner over the Grand National fences.
Polly Gundry Grand National Wins
Polly Gundry has never trained a horse that has won the Grand National.
Their best finish to date was in 2022 with Santini ridden by Nick Scholfield who came 4th.
Full Results
| Year | Horse | Result | Prize Money | Jockey |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Santini | 4 | £65,000 | Nick Scholfield |
Highly Successful Career As An Amateur Jockey
Prior to becoming a horse racing trainer, Gundry was already in the sport as a jockey and a very successful one at that. During her time on the amateur scene, she hit various records and milestones to really cement her place as one of the best female amateurs we have ever seen.
She began riding at a young age and was riding in point-to-point races at the age of just 16. She won the ladies champion point-to-point rider title a total of eight times during her career, which was a record at the time.
At one point, she almost retired but got back in the saddle looking to beat the record for the number of winners by a female amateur, which was 287 at the time. In 2010 she achieved that, and then went on to get 300 winners, which she achieved in 2011.
In April 2011, she announced her retirement from the saddle, ending with 303 point-to-point wins, plus a further 56 under national hunt rules. At the time of retirement, she’d already taken out her rules license to train runners, and in March 2011, again before the retirement, she saddled her first winner.
In 2002, she landed the biggest win of her riding career when aboard the Paul Nicholls-trained Torduff Express. The pair landed the Aintree Foxhunters Chase, one of the biggest open to amateurs, and despite being Polly’s first ride over the big Grand National fences, she came home to win by 13 lengths.
Famous Horses Trained By Polly Gundry
Here are some of the big names trained by Polly Gundry during her career.
Santini