Terry Casey had a little bit of success as an Irish racehorse trainer during his years in the sport. His biggest day, without a doubt, came at Aintree, when he was able to land the Grand National. The win came in 1996 with Rough Quest, and to make the day even better for Casey, his long-time friend Mick Fitzgerald was in charge.
Casey would have four attempts at the National, Rough Quest was responsible for two of them, and his win in the race was the only time that Casey had a runner complete the course. His first was in 1984, while the last came in 1998.
Unfortunately, in 2001, after a long battle with throat cancer, Casey passed away, leaving behind the memories of his racing career, and in particular, his big Aintree win.
Terry Casey Grand National Wins
- 1996 - Rough Quest ridden by Mick Fitzgerald
Full Results
| Year | Horse | Result | Prize Money | Jockey |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Rough Quest | Fence 29 - Pulled Up | - | Mick Fitzgerald |
| 1996 | Rough Quest | 1 | £142,534 | Mick Fitzgerald |
| 1987 | Glenrue | Fence 3 - Fell | - | Brendan Powell |
| 1984 | Hazy Dawn | Fence 6 - Fell | - | Mr Willie Mullins |
Sole Grand National Winner With Rough Quest
Rough Quest won the 1996 Grand National and was in perfect condition for his day, thanks to an excellent training program put in place by Terry Casey. The horse won the Racing Post Chase and, after that, went on to finish second in the Cheltenham Gold Cup. That came after the National weights were released, so the horse was well in.
Punters didn’t miss that, the horse was a strong favourite in the lead-up to the race and remained that all day, going off as the 7/1 favourite. Despite coming from a smaller yard, Rough Quest had done enough on the track to catch the eye.
One of the most memorable parts of this race came in the aftermath when a stewards enquiry was called. This went on for some time, it was clear, looking at the replay, that Rough Quest and Mick Fitzgerald had caused interference on the run in to the second placed horse, Encore Un Peu. After much deliberation, the stewards decided to keep the places the same and not alter anything.
This came under criticism, with many saying that only the size of the race, and the TV audience watching on, kept the race order the same, had this been somewhere else, things would have changed. That didn’t matter to the horse, Fitzgerald and Casey, who had landed their first Grand National together, and savoured every moment.
The front two were miles clear of the rest, and although up in the weights, Rough Quest would return to the Grand National two years later in 1998 to try and win again. This run didn’t go so well, with the horse pulled up by Mick Fitzgerald, who was on board again.
Although a smaller name in the racing world, one thing you cannot take away from Terry Casey is his Grand National win. The Irish handler had his horse perfect on the day and sent him to the Cheltenham Gold Cup before running in the National, so he was certainly not scared of taking on a challenge.
Famous Horses Trained By Terry Casey
Here are some of the bigger names trained by Terry Casey during his career.
Rough Quest