History repeated itself before the 2016
Crabbie Grand National, as O'Faolains Boy was declared lame on the
morning of the race, reducing the field to 39. Another absentee of
note was Pineau de Re, the 2014 winner, who didn’t qualify fast
enough for the final 40.
Last year’s winner, Many Clouds was
installed as 8-1 joint favourite with The Last Samurai, meaning
Leighton Aspell was in with a shout of making it 3 Grand National
Winners in succession, a feat that had never been achieved by anyone
in the 167 previous runnings of the race.
Another wonderfully bright and sunny
day graced Aintree at the start of the big 4.15 race. The field got
underway with no problems and the first few fences would see
Hadrian’s Approach, Holywell and First Lieutenant fall. The running
was quite uneventful, with the expected amount of vying for position
and 50-1 outsider Aachen as the surprise front runner, with Many
Clouds and The Last Samurai well placed.
Decimated
Though the fall count had been
mercifully low up until the approach to the 21st fence, this was
about to markedly change as the next two fences (including Becher’s
Brook) saw more than a fifth of the field have their races cut short.
Amongst them were Denis O’Regan on The Druid’s Nephew, Soll and
Sam Waley-Cohen’s mount Black Thunder.
Second Circuit
The two favourites were well in
contention over Canal Turn, with last year’s runner up Saint Are in
front and looking strong. The going was heavy and several riders who
had been in contention were beginning to feel the pace, as the three
riders headed for home. The Last Samurai looked to steal a march, but
was being tracked by the Mouse Morris trained Rule The World that had
joined the front and as Many Clouds made a big mistake and falling
four from home, it became a three horse race.
There was nothing in it over the last
and going through the elbow, Rule The World edged in front to finish
6 lengths clear.
Having never won over fences before,
Rule The World had triumphed in the biggest steeplechase in the
sport, truly living up to his name. David Mullins and Mouse Morris
were cockahoop as it had turned out to be an unexpectedly momentous
day for them and for the Gigginstown House Stud.