Favourite Aintree memories

Ted said:
and Sheer Jest winning the hunter chase.
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Blimey. Didn't expect that, he was one of the first ones that sprang to mind. A horse with monstrous ability, whose stamina was being stretched by the distance of most hunter chases, he could have been a lethal two to two and a half mile chaser under rules. Would have won a Mackeson or anything else along those lines. Fantastic day when he won The Foxhunter at Aintree.
 
Rhyme N Reason's Grand National, one of the few times I've managed to pick the winner of the race. I think I was better at picking winners when I was a kid.

A remarkable performance from him. I'm sure I still have a photo somewhere of him on his belly at Becher's.
 
I presume its not just National related so Moscow's Melling route of his rivals stands out

In terms of the national itself, I particularly enjoyed the father/son years of Papillion and Bobbyjo
 
Katharine said:
Rhyme N Reason's Grand National, one of the few times I've managed to pick the winner of the race. I think I was better at picking winners when I was a kid.

A remarkable performance from him. I'm sure I still have a photo somewhere of him on his belly at Becher's.
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Same for me - but because he nearly brought down my friends horse when he sprawled, and Ali has been on TV every time they play the clip!!

West Tip in 86. I idolised that horse, and I was soooo chuffed with that win!!!

Last year is the most convinced ive ever been that a horse would win - started backing comply before Christmas,(for all sorts of personal reasons) and just kept going..... watched him skip up the run in with mixed feelings, but largely happy!!!

other favourite memory was when we took Lucky Blue there,the day after I came out of hospital having my wrist pinned - he ran a blinding race (had a blinding season that season!) and came 3rd.... HAPPY HAPPY DAY !!!
 
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1993 National - it sounds odd but there were some classic commenatry moments and it was just a memorable sporting event in general - also helped get me into racing properly :)
 
Katharine said:
Rhyme N Reason's Grand National, one of the few times I've managed to pick the winner of the race. I think I was better at picking winners when I was a kid.

A remarkable performance from him. I'm sure I still have a photo somewhere of him on his belly at Becher's.
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1988 was before I got into punting, I picked him out because of this lyric from Master of Puppets by Metallica (the best song on one of metal`s greatest ever albums:

Laughter, Laughter, All I hear and see is laughter
Laughter, Laughter, laughing at my cries.
Hell is worth all that, natural habitat
just a rhyme without a reason
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Aside from that, Earth Summit`s win sticks in the memory most. I`ve never been as sure of a National winner.
 
Remittance Man winning the 1992 Melling Chase, Morley Street's fourth Aintree Hurdle under the ultra cool Graham Bradley and the thrilling finish between Viking Flagship & Deep Sensation in the 1995 Melling Chase.
 
Knowing you of old Arazi I knew youd' have Remittance Man in there and for sure he was a class act. Night Nurse and Monksfield deadheat was for me for sure up there in race of the century I have the virtual fuul race and even now 32 yrs on its awesome. I have come accross footage of the 1976 Templegate which I have not seen from that day until today featuring Commedy Of Errors , Grand Canyon , Attivo and Artifice (if you don't know those 4 you aint lived) link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Onqy8GUZHI
 
Second circuit..1988 National...good old John Hamner..."And one that's making good progress from the rear is Rhyme N'Reason" or something like that.

The first racehorse I remember....and what's more, I 'followed' him that season through to the big day. Maybe it was the pink colours, I don't know....I prefer not to think of the reasoning there. I was hooked on horses after that.
 
Red Rum winning for the 3rd time I was not on but it was unberleavable,

I backed the winner last year and laid the Fav for a place
 
Aldaniti for me. Watched the National every year with my dad. I had all my pocket money on Spartan Missile and my old man had backed Aldaniti. I can still see the riders legs on SM (amateur, American I think) flapping about as he tried to beat Champions horse.

Fairytale for connections of the winner but I was gutted to lose my two quid!
 
1993 National -I wasn't long in London at the time and was working in a betting office to pay the bills.On National morning I was given the responsibility of opening a reasonably busy office and holding the fort until a manager arrived after lunch.
Friday was my day off that week and a friend of mine was leaving her job in a university.I remember having having 20 on Cab on Target who absolutely scooted up and then hitting the student bar.Day turned into night and I got friendly with a divorced woman who was twice my age.The drink was really flowing.
Next morning as far as I remember I threw the alarm clock at the wall due to the fact there wasn't a snooze function.When I eventually woke up at 1030 there wasn't a clean shirt to be found.
I made it in just after 11.I fully expected to be sacked on the monday but the race being cancelled worked in my favour.
 
In 1998, watching Suny Bay come home second under 12 stone hooked me completly on racing. Also enjoyed watching Monntys Pass. I'd picked him out months before and on the day, my dad ran me down the bookies to put some of my college bus money on him (well it was the holidays!). I remember thinking they'd paid me out too much, so I legged it as quickly as I could from the place in case they wanted some back!! Turns out it was spot on. Also remember a good finish in one of the races between Direct Route and Mulligan. Don't know which race or what year though!!
 
Obviously it is always good to see top class horses out, but it is never a meeting that I am particularly fond of or looking forward to.
 
Songsheet said:
JUST SO coming agonisingly close to MINNEHOMA....
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That's the one for me too, I remember watching Just So winning a race at Chepstow from an impossible position (at one stage he looked like he was about a furlong behind Cythere and had no chance) and got up to win. I was quite young at the time and asked my Dad to ask the bookie for a quote for the national - think he was given 66-1 and he wouldn't do an e.w. bet for me :lol:

Did have a small amount on on the day but think he was only 20-1 from memory.
 
Andy said:
Red Rum winning for the 3rd time I was not on but it was unberleavable,

I backed the winner last year and laid the Fav for a place
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My Dad had £2 on Red Rum the 3rd time (1977) for me..My first ever winner, invested my winnings on a new pair of slippers if I recall correctly:cool:
 
Absolutely my favourite meeting, although I've never been to the course (and have no plans to go! - it might spoil the romance for me LOL).

Most of my strongest memories of Aintree are the disasters, from Devon Lock through to McKelvey, via Beau unseating twice and What's Up Boys getting mugged, and One Man losing his life... and that awful year when Eudipe and three others came down vertically in line, and he was killed. But that just about sums up the sheer drama of it. Nothing else touches it for me, though I'm warming to Cheltenham in my old age.

Good memories - Corbiere, Mr Frisk, Earth Summit, Aldaniti, getting the 1/2/4 in Papillon's year when I was still having just the 'yearly bet' on the GN - lots of good memories too!

I just watched thre video of Foinavon's race again - never realised he'd run in that year's Gold Cup. I bet Sir Peter was cross he wasn't on the mic when the pile-up happened!! Sorry I never watched Attivo run - Sir P's favourite of his horses
 
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